Kogudus ja kogukond: lingvistilised, teoloogilised ja sotsioloogilised seosed
Congregation and Community: Linguistic, Theological and Sociological Connections

Summary/Abstract: This article focuses on the use of the concepts kogudus (Eng congregation) and kogukond (Eng community) in Estonian Christian tradition and present-day society. The etymology of these words is explored as well as their use in Estonian Bible translations and theology to assist in understanding changes in use of these terms – for example the shift towards preferring community instead of congregation or church. Also, relations between religious fellowship and the wider society are described, thus bringing into discussion the sociological dimension. The latter argues that a Christian congregation, as a relations-building network, is itself a community operating in a wider social framework. Historically, kogudus has denoted a crowd or people, though the Christian meaning – a congregation gathered for worship or members of a local church – has also been strongly present. Kogukond is found to be in wider use in the Estonian language only since the 19th century, partly in relation with administrative changes, referring mainly to inhabitants of a local community or parish. The authors argue that even if these two words have been intertwined in their meaning, the synonymous or near-synonymous use of these concepts is a recent development. Some new church plants refer to their Sunday worship and discussion group as kogukond, reserving the word kogudus for a more abstract Christian fellowship, often including several communities. This may be a result of focus on missional contextualization, as kogukond is more neutral while kogudus has become a part of sacral language. The article concludes that the linguistic, religious and sociological use of these concepts is closely linked and awareness of these aspects helps to make clear the changes in the use of these words, and in related practices.

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