Definition of "congregation" []

• The act of assembling. (noun)
• A body of assembled people or things; a gathering. (noun)
• A group of people gathered for religious worship. (noun)
• The members of a specific religious group who regularly worship at a church or synagogue. (noun)
• Roman Catholic Church A religious institute in which only simple vows, not solemn vows, are taken. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "There are those who are not the best role models out there, but a congregation is the heart of why and where I attend church."
• "Its quite obvious that someone within the congregation is there - probably every Sunday, waiting for that one sermon to happen."
• "As Rehnquist wrote in the majority decision, Training someone to lead a congregation is an essentially religious endeavor."