The Reformed branch of Protestantism in Switzerland was started in Zurich by Huldrych Zwingli and spread within a few years to Basle (Johannes Oecolampadius), Berne (Berchtold Haller and Niklaus Manuel), St. Gall (Joachim Vadian), to cities in Southern Germany and via Alsace (Martin Bucer) to France.

After the early death of Zwingli in 1531, his work was continued by Heinrich Bullinger, the author of the Second Helvetic Confession. The French-speaking cities Neuchatel, Geneva and Lausanne changed to the Reformation ten years later under William Farel and John Calvin coming from France. The Zwingli and Calvin branches had each their theological distinctions, but in 1549 under the lead of Bullinger and Calvin they came to a common agreement in the Consensus Tigurinus (Zurich Consent), and 1566 in the Second Helvetic Confession.

Organizationally, the Reformed Churches in Switzerland remained separate units until today, being cantonal. The German part more in the Zwingli tradition, in the French part more in the Calvin tradition. They are governed synodically and their relation to the respective canton (in Switzerland, there are no church-state regulations on country-level) ranges from independent to close collaboration, depending on historical developments.

A distinctive of the Swiss Reformed churches in Zwingli tradition is their historically almost symbiotic link to the state (cantons) which is only loosening gradually in the present.

After the 18th century pietism arouse internal movements that in same cases has generated free churches, like the Free Church of Geneva.

In 1920 was founded the Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches (Schweizerischer Evangelischer Kirchenbund, Fédération des Eglises protestantes de Suisse, Federazione delle Chiese evangeliche della Svizzera), with 22 member churches — 20 cantonal churches and 2 free churches (Free Church of Geneva and the Evangelical-Methodist Church of Switzerland), to serve as a legal umbrella before the federal government and represent the church in International relations.

Reformed Cantonal Churches of Switzerland

• Chiesa Evangelica Riformata del Ticino-Evangelical-Reformed Church of the Canton of Ticino
• Eglise evangelique reformee du Canton de Vaud-Evangelical Reformed Church of the Canton of Vaud
• Eglise Protestante de Geneve-Protestant Church of Geneva
• Eglise reformee evangelique du canton de Neuchatel-Reformed-Evangelical Church of the Canton Neuchatel
• Eglise reformee evangelique du Valais-Reformed Evangelical Church of Valais
• Evangelisch-reformierte Kirche des Kantons Basel-Landschaft-Evangelical-Reformed Church of the Canton Basel-Landschaft
• Evangelisch-reformierte Kirche des Kantons Basel-Stadt-Evangelical-Reformed Church of the Canton Basel-Stadt
• Evangelisch-reformierte Kirche des Kantons Freiburg-Evangelical-Reformed Church of the Canton of Freiburg
• Evangelisch-Reformierte Kirche des Kantons Luzern-Evangelical-Reformed Church of the Canton of Lucerne
• Evangelisch-reformierte Kirche des Kantons Schaffhausen-Evangelical-Reformed Synod of the Canton of Schaffhausen
• Evangelisch-reformierte Kirche des Kantons St. Gallen-Evangelical-Reformed Synod of the Canton of St. Gallen
• Evangelisch-reformierte Kirche Kanton Solothurn-Reformed Church Canton of Solothurn
• Evangelisch-reformierte Kirchen Bern-Jura-Solothurn-Evangelical Reformed Churches of the Canton Bern-Jura-Solothurn
• Evangelisch-reformierte Kirchengemeinde des Kantons Zug-Evangelical-Reformed Church of the Canton of Zug
• Evangelisch-reformierte Landeskirche beider Appenzell-Evangelical-Reformed Church of Appenzell
• Evangelisch-reformierte Landeskirche des Kantons Aargau-Protestant Reformed Church of the Canton Aargau
• Evangelisch-reformierte Landeskirche des Kantons Graubuenden-Evangelical-Reformed Church of the Canton of Graubuenden
• Evangelisch-reformierte Landeskirche des Kantons Zuerich-Evangelical-Reformed Church of the Canton Zurich
• Evangelisch-reformierter Kirchenverband der Zentralschweiz-Evangelical - Reformed Church - Association of Central Switzerland
• Evangelischer Kirchenrat des Kantons Glarus-Evangelical Synod of the Canton of Glarus
• Evangelischer Kirchenrat des Kantons Thurgau-Protestant Church of Thurgau

=Links

• Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches

Reformation | Religion in Switzerland | Members of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches

Schweizer Reformierte Kirchen