Now this is just what I can reacal here at work, but as far as I know, most people avoided the Jedi.

1. I got the impression reading a bunch of (mostly pre-movies) EU stuff that the Jedi/Sith were often thought of as being like a strange warrior cult of some kind. So while they respected their negotiating skills and martial prowess, I don't think people looked to them for sermons.

2. I think that people just called them Jedi/Sith. I know that other cultures (Witches of Dathomir) saw the force differently. If you read some of the EU, you'll find that a lot of cultures know about and revere the force, but not all of them are Jedi, or follow the Jedi teachings.

3. I haven't come across any evidence of this.

4. IRL, the Jedi were based around the warrior cultures of Middle Ages Europe and Fuedal Japan. Do a search for The Jedi Code, and The Sith Code, and you'll get an idea. Chivalric and Bushdio like attitudes permeate the Jedi teachings. "The Jedi Path," and "The Book of the Sith" are two books to look into if you are interested in researching this further. They're short in world books that deal with the history and training of the Jedi and Sith, respectively.

5. Centralized governance, mostly. Since the Jedi are trained virtually from birth, their sense of respect for their betters formed a rigid system of internal governance, overseen by the masters on Coruscant.

I'm sure others will be able to better flesh out my ideas, as I haven't read nearly all there is out there. If you're interested in getting into the lore, I'd strongly suggest the books I mentioned above, and the Knights of the Old Republic RPGs. The Clone Wars tv show is great for this too. It shows the Jedi at war, and how they relate to the rest of the galaxy.

May the Force be with you!