Episcopal Assembly releases parish life study

As with all Krindatch studies, these reports make for interesting reading. Pour a cup of coffee and flip through the PDFs.

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(EA) - The report “Orthodox Christian Churches in 21st Century America: a Parish Life Study” has been released by the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA. Download the study report here:

• Executive Summary (PDF)
• Full Report (PDF)

The report provides a comprehensive picture of today’s lives of American Orthodox parishes, including such aspects as membership, worship, programs, religious education, youth, usage of electronic technologies, and much more. Of particular interest are subjects that have never been examined previously, such as:

• The Vision of Parish Clergy for Orthodox Church Unity in America
• Similarities and differences between American Orthodox parishes and Protestant congregations
• The Use of Electronic Technologies in U.S. Orthodox Parishes

580 Orthodox parishes (about 30% of all U.S. Orthodox parishes) participated in this unique study. Five Orthodox jurisdictions had a significant number of participating parishes: the American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese, the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, the Orthodox Church in America, and the Serbian Orthodox Church. The study report discusses the similarities and differences among the parishes of these five jurisdictions.

The study "Orthodox Christian Churches in 21st Century America" was part of a much larger national study of American religious congregations titled "Faith Communities Today" (FACT). One chapter of the report provides a glimpse into what are the most remarkable differences between Orthodox Christian parishes and the Mainline and Evangelical Protestant congregations.

The report was prepared by Alexei Krindatch, the Assembly’s Research Coordinator.