From Fr. Angelo
The Faith Entrusted to Us
As is evident in our own church of the Annunciation, the Orthodox Church in America, over the last several years has been experiencing noticeable surge in converts. This is a profound reversal from the 2020 census of the status of Eastern Orthodox Churches in America which reported a dramatic decline in the Orthodox Church participation; 14% decrease in regular church attendance and 17% loss in membership. Data from various sources, including the Institute of Orthodox Studies, indicates an80% increase in converts in 2022 compared to previous levels.
- A significant portion of new converts are young, conservative single men and young families attracted to the church’s emphasis on tradition, discipline, both spiritual and physical.
- Net growth of Orthodox Christians in the U.S. remains steady at around 0.5% of the population (approximately 675,000 to 1 million) as new growth in converts is offsetting “cradle” Orthodox members who leave the faith.
- Regional Trends: Growth is particularly visible in the South and West, with parishes in dioceses such as Denver, Chicago and Atlanta seeing substantial increases.
Also interesting is that in the past the Orthodox Church received new members from Protestant or Non-Denominational churches, but now the largest growing segment are young adults who grew up not practicing any formal religion and do not identify with any denomination. In conversations with these young adults, they seem to have been influenced by an attitude that organized religion is a threat to individualism and interpretation of Scripture should come from a feelings-based perspective…