Erklärung: A vestryman is a member of his local church's vestry, or leading body. He is not a member of the clergy.
In England especially, but also in other parts of The United Kingdom, Parish Councils have long been a level of local government rather than being solely ecclesiastical in nature. This probably arises from the role of the Church of England as the established church and the Parish (or area served by an individual church) as the most local and immediate level of social involvement.
The translation workplace 
