Superintendent
1. The officer of the early Church who was also called overseer, or bishop (ἐπίσκοπος).
2. The officer in the English Wesleyan Church who has charge of a circuit; he is responsible to the Conference for the maintenance of discipline and order in all the societies of the circuit, and presides as chief pastor in all circuit courts. The superintendent or one of his colleagues must make the circuit plan, arrange for the quarterly visitation of the classes, change or re- elect the stewards the nomination being with himself, the vote with the leaders or quarterly meetings. All the minor details connected with the management of the circuit are in his hands.
3. An-ecclesiastical superior in several Reformed churches where episcopacy is not admitted, particularly among the Lutherans in Germany and the Calvinists in some other places. The superintendent is similar to a bishop. only his power is some what more restrained than that of our diocesan bishops. He is the chief pastor, and has the direction pf all the inferior pastors within his district or diocese.
Superior, an official exercising jurisdiction; the chief of a confraternity, brotherhood, sisterhood, monastery, or convent. In most orders the "superior" or other head of a convent is elected by the members of the convent, and the superiors in a province elect the provincial.
The Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature was edited by John McClintock and James Strong. It contains nearly 50,000 articles pertaining to Biblical and other religious literature, people, creeds, etc. It is a fantastic research tool for broad Christian study.
John McClintock was born October 27, 1814 in Philadelphia to Irish immigrants, John and Martha McClintock. He began as a clerk in his father's store, and then became a bookkeeper in the Methodist Book Concern in New York. Here he converted to Methodism and considered joining the ministry. McClintock entered the University of Pennsylvania in 1832 and graduated with high honors three years later. Subsequently, he was awarded a doctorate of divinity degree from the same institution in 1848.WikipediaRead More