church community / parish
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church community
The community of believers who belong to a particular church or parish in a specific place.
Die Kirchengemeinde organisiert jedes Jahr ein großes Sommerfest für alle.
The church community organizes a big summer festival for everyone every year.
parish
The organizational and territorial unit of a parish as an institution.
Er wurde in den Rat der Kirchengemeinde gewählt.
He was elected to the parish council.
The word is made up of 'Kirche' (church) and 'Gemeinde' (community/congregation), connected by an 'n'. So it literally describes a community that belongs to a church.
Unsere Kirchengemeinde hat viele junge Familien als Mitglieder.
Our church community has many young families as members.
The context makes clear whether the community of people or the administration is meant. If it is about festivals, meetings, or members, it refers to the people. If it is about elections, finances, or the parish office, it refers to the institution.
Die Kirchengemeinde trifft sich jeden Sonntag nach dem Gottesdienst.
The church community meets every Sunday after the service.
When referring to the community of people, the word is often used with verbs of involvement. Typical phrases are 'sich in der Kirchengemeinde engagieren' (to be involved in the church community), 'einer Kirchengemeinde angehören' (to belong to a church community), or 'in der Kirchengemeinde aktiv sein' (to be active in the church community).
Seit ihrer Pensionierung engagiert sie sich ehrenamtlich in der Kirchengemeinde.
Since her retirement, she has been volunteering in the church community.
municipality / community
Gemeinde can refer to a local group of believers when the church context is clear. Kirchengemeinde explicitly names this group and is unambiguous even without further context. After words such as Kirche or Gottesdienst, Gemeinde often works; otherwise, Kirchengemeinde is clearer.
Am Samstag organisiert die Kirchengemeinde ein gemeinsames Fest.
On Saturday, the church community is organizing a joint celebration.
Nach dem Gottesdienst blieb die Gemeinde noch vor der Kirche stehen.
After the service, the congregation remained standing in front of the church.
