From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcongregationcon‧gre‧ga‧tion /ˌkɒŋɡrəˈɡeɪʃən $ ˌkɑːŋ-/ ●○○ noun [countable] 1 RRCa group of people gathered together in a church The congregation knelt to pray.2 RRCthe people who usually go to a particular church Several members of the congregation are away.GRAMMAR: Singular or plural verb?Congregation is usually followed by a singular verb: At this point in the service the congregation stands.In British English, you can also use a plural verb: At this point in the service the congregation stand.
Examples from the Corpus
congregation• This will depend on where a congregation is.• When the prayer ended, the entire congregation sat down.• Pope John was present at the general congregation on 7 December.• Ike, former radio disc jockey, actually kept his congregation awake on Sunday mornings.• A modest congregation sat underneath on benches.• In the early 1930s the average morning congregation ranged from 72 to 113 and the evening congregations were between 120 and 140.• But not all social responses result in sociable congregation.• Several members of the congregation organized a bake sale to raise money for a new piano.• The congregation shifted on their benches, moved their feet.• No wonder our clergymen look anxious, and their congregations confused! 