A system of church-visitation was started, by which the central authority passed upon the competence of each minister.

Powers of appointment and removal were vested in the government.

The title and office of bishop were changed in most cases to that of "superintendent," though in some German sees and generally in Sweden the name bishop was retained.
[Sidenote: Lutheran accessions] How genuinely popular was the Lutheran movement may be seen in the fact that the free cities, Nuremberg, Augsburg, Strassburg, Ulm, Luebeck, Hamburg, and many others were the first to revolt from Rome.

In other states the government led the way.

Electoral Saxony evolved slowly into complete Protestantism.