especially: an assembly of persons met for worship and religious instruction
b
: a religious community: such as
(1)
: an organized body of believers in a particular locality
The pastor delivered a lengthy sermon to the congregation.
(2)
: a Roman Catholic religious institute with only simple vows
a congregation of nuns
(3)
: a group of monasteries forming an independent subdivision of an order
2
: the act or an instance of congregating or bringing together : the state of being congregated
3
: a body of cardinals and officials forming an administrative division of the papal curia
Did you know?
The verb congregate may be used for spontaneous gatherings. A crowd quickly congregates at the scene of an accident, for example, just as cows, sheep, or horses tend to congregate during a storm. And under military rule, citizens are often forbidden to congregate on street corners or anywhere else. But a congregation is generally a group that has gathered for a formal purpose, usually in church. The Congregational Church was originally the church of the Puritan settlers, in which each congregation governed its own church independent of any higher authority.
The priest addressed the congregation. She is a member of a small congregation.
Recent Examples on the WebThe congregation that meets at the center can be as few as seven people or as many as 200, when tour buses or students arrive.The Salt Lake Tribune, 11 Sep. 2022 Located in Butchers Hill in Southeast Baltimore, the 82-year-old congregation is one of seven OCA parishes in the state. Jonathan M. Pitts, Baltimore Sun, 18 July 2022 The congregation will still be Methodist, just affiliated with a different Methodist denomination.al, 16 June 2022 The congregation was excited to see Pastor Chang, who had been their pastor for 20 years before going to Taiwan, Chen said.Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2022 While the exterior is a near-replica of the original church, inside Miller has made some major changes: the building will house a pair of luxury condominiums instead of a new congregation. Peter Demarco, BostonGlobe.com, 5 Sep. 2022 Bryant May is lead pastor of the Southern Baptist congregation in the Jackson suburb of Pearl. Michael Goldberg And Emily Wagster Pettus, ajc, 25 Aug. 2022 Many years as a rabbi -- and especially the last four years tending the emotional and spiritual wounds of a congregation that endured the shooting in my community -- has taught me that hiding from pain never works. Rabbi Jeffrey Myers, CNN, 25 Aug. 2022 With his mediations on God, suffering, and beauty in everyday life, Mr. Buechner attracted a devoted readership that greeted each new book of his with the anticipation of a church congregation awaiting a sermon by a beloved minister. Emily Langer, Washington Post, 17 Aug. 2022 See More