"Predecessor bodies" refers to previous or earlier groups or organizations that existed before the current one. It means a group or organization that was in place or existed before the current one took over or was established. Full definition
Braaten, who was born in 1929, spent his childhood in Madagascar, where his parents were missionaries of the Norwegian Lutheran Church in America, one of the ELCA's many predecessor bodies. (firstthings.com)
In the period prior to the 1988 merger of three predecessor bodies into the new ELCA, homosexual and feminist activism had been growing and pushing with increasing success for recognition of their agendas and «repentance» for past discrimination. (firstthings.com)
«an historic repository dedicated to preserving the history of Fair Work Australia (FWA) and its predecessor bodies.» (ox.libguides.com)