Editing Religious order (section)

{{Short description|Groups based on religious devotion}}
{{for|the Roman Catholic communities|Religious order (Catholic)}}
{{More citations needed|date=May 2023}}
[[File:Kloster St. Wigberti pan.jpg|thumb|300px|The [[Priory of St. Wigbert]] is a [[Lutheran]] [[monastery]] in the [[Benedictines#Other orders|Benedictine tradition]]]]

A '''religious order''' is a subgroup within a larger [[confessional community]] with a distinctive high-religiosity lifestyle and clear membership. Religious orders often trace their lineage from revered teachers, venerate their [[Organizational founder|founder]]s, and have a document describing their lifestyle called a [[rule of life]]. Such orders exist in many of the world's [[religion]]s.