Source: Orthodox Reality
Did you know that:
· …less than one-third (31%) of US Orthodox parish clergy have publicly encouraged their parishioners to get vaccinated;
· …nearly half of American Orthodox parishes (48%) “profited” financially from the pandemic, because their members give now more than they did prior to COVID. Only 16% of parishes experienced a decline in donations
· …overall the pandemic had a negative influence on parishioners’ involvement, but, at the same time, certain Orthodox jurisdictions benefited from the crisis by winning more members and increasing church attendance.
If this appears interesting and you want to know more about the consequences of the pandemic for American Orthodox parish life, download, and read the report here:
https://orthodoxreality.org/
Examples of other subjects discussed in the report include:
· Impact of the pandemic on the personal wellbeing of parishioners and clergy
· Conflicts in the parishes caused by disagreements regarding restrictions imposed because of the pandemic
· Continuing online attendance in parishes versus current in-person attendance
· The hardest-hit aspect of parish life
· The most successful parish adaptations in response to the pandemic
The data were obtained from an online survey of American Orthodox priests conducted July 1-15, 2021. We express deep gratitude to the clergy of all jurisdictions who participated in this study. They shared not only factual information about their parishes, but – most importantly – their very frank reflections, thoughts, and experiences of dealing with the crisis brought on by the pandemic.
If you did not participate in the study, you still can do this by completing the questionnaire at:
https://covidreligionstudy.
We encourage you to share this report with your parish communities, as well as with Orthodox friends and relatives. Your comments, suggestions, and questions are always welcome. You can offer them by clicking the “Comments and Questions” button below.
Respectfully,
Alexei Krindatch, National Coordinator
Second Census of Orthodox Christian Churches and
2020 US Religion Census (www.usreligioncensus.org)
Office: 510-647-9427 Cell: 773-551-7226
www.orthodoxreality.org
