Parish implies a "local church community." It is the local subdivision of a diocese that has one pastor. Members of a particular parish community are known to attend one church, because they "belong" to that parish.

One can also say that a parish is an administrative subdivision that is used by both the Christian churches and civil governments in many countries. The popular use of the term "parish" is used to signify a group or an assembly of people who attend a particular church. The congregation is served by a parish minister. In catholic churches, religious activities take place in a local parish. In churches of Scotland, the parish is the basic level of administration for a church. As mentioned before, a civil parish refers an administrative area in control of a civil government. Civil parishes form the lowest rung of local governance in England. Civil parishes are also found in Ireland, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands.