Wikipedia
Gemeinde (plural: Gemeinden) in Germany or Austria is the smallest administrative division of local government having corporate status and powers of self-government. It is a German word for borough, commune, community, township or municipality.
"Travlang's German-English On-line Dictionary" (result
for "Gemeinde"), Travlang (travlang.com), 2000, webpage:
.
A Gemeinde which shows certain aspects of urban life can be entitled by state government to lead the designation Stadt ( town).
Gemeinde in the sense of the Amish way of life ruled by the Ordnung, it functions as a description for certain congregations often centering on a church and sharing some local social structures like church service.
Gemeinde also means, in theological usage, in German-speaking regions a local Christian or Jewish congregation, i. e. the members of a local church (Kirchengemeinde or Pfarrgemeinde) or a Synagogue (Jüdische Gemeinde) as a whole. It has no English equivalent except among Mormons, who call it a ward. It encompasses the meaning of parish assembly (as a group entity) but also the congregation as a koinonia (Greek) or fellowship of believers.
Usage examples of "gemeinde".
The Landamman was an officer chosen by the Swiss Gemeinde, or Diet, to preside over them.
It was the custom at the Meetings of the Landes Gemeinde, or Diet, to set swords upright in the ground as emblems of authority.
Together with the Gemeinde, the local authorities, he constructed the Seilbahn.
A farmer who held this kind of share in the lands had a full vote in the village Gemeinde, was expected to do his share in holding local offices, etc.
Engelhardt, Die ersten Versuche zur Aufrichtung des wahren Christenthums in einer Gemeinde von Heiligen, Riga, 1881.