Prestegjeld
"Prestegjeld" referred to a geographical and administrative area of the Norwegian Church (Den norske kirke) . A prestegjeld usually consisted of several municipalities ( norw. " Sogn " as the smallest administrative unit), but can also consist of just one larger sogn and is subordinate to a provost (norw. Prosti ). It thus roughly corresponds to a German church district.
In a Prestegjeld there are usually several parish offices ( kapellane ), which are administratively subordinate to a parish priest (sogneprest or sokneprest) . Other employees of a Prestegjeld are parish catechists (norw. Kateket ), deacons and cantors who are available to all parishes in the Prestegjeld.
In 2005 there were 613 Prestegjeld and 1296 Sogn in Norway.
The name Prestegjeld as an administrative unit of the Norwegian Church ran out in 2004 and is no longer used today. The Norwegian Church is now organized in different Sogns as a basic unit and the pastors are employed in a “Prosti” instead of the Prestegjeld.