Synod

noun

1. An ecclesiastic council or meeting to consult on church matters.
2. An administrative division of churches, either the entire denomination, as in the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod, or a mid-level division (middle judicatory, district) as in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
3. An assembly or council having civil authority; a legislative body.
4. A conjunction of two or more of the heavenly bodies.