Source: Orthodox Reality
Do you wonder what American Orthodox Church members think of and want from their bishops? What changes in their Churches do U.S. Orthodox Christians desire the most? If so, download and read this newly released article:
https://ocl.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/KrindatchLaityOnDesirableChangesInBishops.pdf
https://ocl.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/KrindatchLaityOnDesirableChangesInBishops.pdf
You will find why fewer than half of U.S. Orthodox parishioners (47%) fully approve of their bishops and express positive sentiments towards them. The article offers many insights into what bishops “should” or “should not” do from the perspective of Orthodox Christian laity.
The findings presented are based on the analysis of answers to the survey question, “If you could request JUST ONE THING from the bishops to improve the life of your parish or the Orthodox Church in the United States in general, what would that be?” More than 1,100 Orthodox Church members responded to this question in the spring of 2022.
More specifically, the article offers answers to four urgent questions:
- What are American Orthodox Church members’ overall sentiments (positive, negative) toward their bishops?
- What are the main reasons for having these (either positive or negative) sentiments?
- From the perspective of parishioners, what changes in Church life should bishops initiate and uphold?
- What are the greatest concerns of parishioners regarding the life of the Church?
We encourage you to share this article with your fellow parishioners, friends, and relatives interested in Orthodox Church life in the USA.
For more news, information and data on U.S. Orthodox Churches, please visit: https://orthodoxreality.org/
As always, we welcome your questions and comments. Please write to: orthodoxdata1@gmail.com.
And again, here is link to the article “What Orthodox Christians in the USA Want From Their Bishops: https://ocl.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/KrindatchLaityOnDesirableChangesInBishops.pdf
Alexei Krindatch, National Coordinator
US Census of Orthodox Christian Churches & US Religion Census
www.orthodoxreality.org & www.usreligioncensus.org
“You can’t manage what you don’t understand, and you can’t understand what you don’t measure”
US Census of Orthodox Christian Churches & US Religion Census
www.orthodoxreality.org & www.usreligioncensus.org
“You can’t manage what you don’t understand, and you can’t understand what you don’t measure”
1 Comment
I am only familiar with the hierarchs of the Greek Orthodox church. and specifically with New Jersey’s Apostolos and the archbishop Elpidoforos. First off I want to make people understand that church hierarchy should not be looking for “popularity” or “likes”, as if they’re teenagers on facebook. Christ, whom they represent was crucified for telling the truth and making lots of people angry.
Having said, of course, there should not be intentionally spreading anger. What should happen is that Christ’s teachings, being the same “yesterday, today and tomorrow”, should not be altered to satisfy a big church donor.
Just as important is that the hierarchs live the Gospels. When Elpidoforos stays at the Ritz everytime he travels, at $1,500 per night, that’s not living the Gospel. Traveling first class to Athens or Konstantinople, at $5,000 is not living the gospel. Promising transparency, but not telling us what their salaries are is not transparency. Promising acceptance of criticism, in his inaugural interview, while he is suing a journalist for $300,000 for criticism is an unheard of, egregious act unworthy of a hierarch. That act alone, defames the other hierarchs who are humble and men of God and renders him ANAXIOS of sitting at the Bishop’s throne, representing Christ..