Kirchenrat

church council

noun KEER-khen-raht Rare

Also means

church councillor (in some uses)

Usage Note

Kirchenrat can refer to the governing body of a Protestant regional church or to an individual member of such a body. Context determines whether it is the institution or the person; the plural Kirchenräte covers both.

Examples

"Der Kirchenrat tagte, um über die Gemeindefinanzen zu beraten."

Natural Translation

The church council met to deliberate on parish finances.

Literal Translation

The church-council met, to over the parish-finances deliberate.

Related Words

Explore German by topic

GermanNow

German Numbers 1–100: Why 21 Is Said Backwards

German numbers 1 to 100 reverse the digits: 21 is einundzwanzig (one-and-twenty). Learn the und rule, the irregulars, and how to hear prices fast.

June 5, 2026 6 min read

GermanNow

German Two-Way Prepositions: Accusative or Dative?

Use accusative for movement into a place (wohin?) and dative for a fixed location (wo?). Master all nine German two-way prepositions with one simple test.

June 9, 2026 6 min read

GermanNow

Weil vs Denn vs Da: "Because" in German

Weil and da send the verb to the end; denn keeps it in second position. Here's how to pick the right German "because" and place the verb correctly.

June 5, 2026 6 min read

GermanNow

German Modal Particles: doch, mal, ja, eben

German modal particles doch, mal, ja, and eben add attitude, not meaning. Before/after examples show how to use each one so your German stops sounding stiff.

June 9, 2026 6 min read