congregation
n. countablen. a group of people who gather together for a religious service. You use this to describe the people in a church, mosque, or temple rather than the building itself.
n. a group of people assembled for religious worship. Often used to distinguish the lay members of a church from the clergy.
The congregation stood up to sing a hymn together.
The local congregation raised enough money to repair the roof of the historic chapel after the storm.
While the architecture of the cathedral was undeniably impressive, the visiting bishop focused his sermon on the spiritual health of the diverse congregation gathered before him.
From Middle English congregacioun, from Old French congregacion, from Latin congregātiō, itself from congregō (“to herd into a flock”). Adopted (1520s) by the English Bible translator William Tyndale, to render the Ancient Greek ἐκκλησία (ekklēsía, “those called together, (popular) meeting”) (hence Latin ecclēsia) in his New Testament, and preferred by 16th century Reformers instead of church. By surface analysis, congregate + -ion.
Collective noun; can take a singular or plural verb depending on whether the group is seen as a unit or as individuals.