The Lutheran citizens and their siblings living within the city walls formed a uniform Lutheran congregation, while those Lutherans living in neighbouring villages in the countryside under city-state rule formed separate entities, administered by the city not by congregational bodies.
Linnamüüride vahel elavad luterlikud kodanikud ja nende õed-vennad moodustasid ühtse luterliku koguduse, samas need luterlased, kes elasid maal naaberkülades linnriigi võimu all, moodustasid eraldi üksused, mida haldas linn, mitte kogudused.