seurakuntaan

Seurakuntaan is the illative singular form of the Finnish noun seurakunta, which means a church congregation or parish. In Finnish grammar, the illative case marks movement toward something, so seurakuntaan is used to express going to, joining, or becoming part of the congregation. For example: Mennäänkö seurakuntaan? Hän liittyi seurakuntaan.

Seurakunta originally refers to a community gathered for religious life. In Finland it also denotes the local church community organized as a parish within the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, and, in a broader sense, the body of members of a given congregation. The term is used in official church administration as well as in everyday speech.

Within the Finnish church system, each parish has its own administration and facilities, and several parishes may form a seurakuntayhtymä (joint parish) to cooperate on services and administration. The concept reflects both religious fellowship and organizational structure.

Notes: When you see seurakuntaan, it signals movement toward or entrance into the congregation. Related forms include seurakuntia (parishes, plural), seurakuntiin (illative plural), and other cases.