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I seem to recall seeing a link to this kind of information in another post on this site but can't find it:

Can anyone point me to reliable current statistics on the clergy (hierarchs, priests and deacons) who serve Eastern Catholic and Eastern Orthodox communities in the U.S., and the numbers who are not in active ministry?

What are the current totals? How many of the priests in each of our Churches are over 70? over 60? over 50? etc. How many are retired or no longer in active ministry? How many seminarians are there (and at what stage of formation)? How many ordinations have there been over the past five-ten years and how many are projected for the next five-ten?

I continue to "wait in joyful hope" (as the Latins say) for some reliable data on this subject. I have an impression, admittedly from incomplete and anecdotal information, that our clergy (EC and EO, if not also OO) are aging and that their numbers are not being replenished. I also have the impression from some sources that the numbers of communicants of hour various Churches may also be declining. If these impressions are correct, I wonder what these possible trends mean for the future of Eastern Christianity in this country, what may be the causes of our "shrinkage," and what might be done to arrest and even reverse these trends, if they exist. But first I want to see if my perceptions are accurate.

Hi Tim ! Thank you for waiting for a response. Unfortunately, sometimes good topics fall through the cracks amidst all the hustle and bustle.

I know that there are statistics on the Eastern Catholic Churches, through the CNEWA. http://www.cnewa.org/generalpg-verus.aspx?pageID=125

I do not know if there are statistics that are published for the various Orthodox Churches.

Anecdotally, I'm hearing different things about the Orthodox Church's demographics in the U.S. On the one hand, there are a fair number of converts to Orthodoxy, especially through the Antiochians but also through the Greeks and OCA. And, St. Tikhon's seminary (I believe) reported a record numbers of students. On the other hand, I hear more muffled sounds about people leaving the Orthodox Church in order to better assimilate into the wider culture or for a different way to Christ (i.e., Evangelicalism).

I would be curious to know what others have to say . . .

-- John

To quote Bishop Kallistos, "The day is coming when no one will be an Orthodox Christian who does not consciously choose to be one". By this he meant that ethnicity is not a sufficient bond in a multi-cultural, pluralistic society. Eastern Christianity is so counter-cultural, the burdens of being an Eastern Christian in Western society so onerous, that the fact your grandmother or grandfather came from Greece, or Lebanon, or Russia or Ukraine is no longer sufficient to bind you to the Eastern Churches.

The Eastern Churches for too long depended on this bond between its members and the Old Country to provide cohesion and keep people in the ranks. But now most Churches in this country are dealing with third and fourth generation Americans, who know little or no Greek, Russian, Arabic or Slavonic, and who are culturally and psychologically Americans. If the Church cannot speak to them in a manner they understand, then it will lose them.

That does not mean that the Church ought to dive whole-hog into the melting pot. It is not the role of the Church to fit into society, but rather to stand apart as an example to society, the light unto the nations. One problem many Eastern Churches face is their botched attempt to "fit in" by adopting many of the superficial aspects of mainline Protestant culture, which served mostly to blur the distinctions between Eastern Christianity and its competitors. And since the competition really did fit into the culture while making far fewer demands on its adherents, no wonder, then, that many Eastern Christians have been walking away from the Church.

Worse, though, was the subtle assimilation not only forms (organs, pews, stained glass and so forth) but also the mindset of mainline Protestantism, which caused a dilution of Eastern Christian spirituality and discipline (particularly ascetic practices). This in turn further blurred the distinctive identity of Eastern Christianity, loosening its hold on the ethnic community.

Yet, at the same time, there has been a massive influx of converts from Western Churches and ecclesial communities, as well as among the unchurched, which seems to show that Eastern Christianity has an inherent attraction that transcends cultural boundaries. Indeed, without the influx of converts, Eastern Christian Churches would be in far worse shape than it is.

But, paradoxically, whenever there is a large influx of converts to a particular community, they almost invariably seek restoration of authentic Eastern theology, spirituality, doctrine, discipline and praxis--the very things that many of the "cradle-born" have been trying to shed. This leads to tensions within Churches, as the two groups pull in opposite directions. The "ethnically" Eastern seem to want their Churches more "Americanized" (though their clergy and hierarchs often try to hold a symbolic line regarding the use of language), while the converts want to stress their separation from a culture they regard as increasingly hostile to Christianity. The converts like the exoticness of Eastern Christianity--the rituals, the icons, the chanting, the way in which it provides not just a framework for abstract beliefs, but an entire, integrated way of life. And they want more of it.

This fits in with studies of Christianity in the U.S. more generally: the Churches and denominations that are growing the most rapidly are those that make the most demands on their members; the ones that are shrinking are those that have abandoned rigorous doctrine and praxis in favor of an amorphous "spirituality" and social gospel. Eastern Christianity needs to avoid that trap.

Because of the demands that authentic Eastern Christianity makes on its adherents, and because there are so many spiritual choices in American society, it is clear that this is probably the last generation in which ethnicity will suffice to hold the Churches together. The ranks of the Eastern Churches are now being filled not by immigrants or by the large families of second generation immigrants, but by people who have no cultural connection whatsoever to Eastern Christianity. They join the Church not because it is their heritage, or their duty, or because Grandma will be so disappointed, but because they believe it is true, and because it provides them with the spiritual nourishment they need.

This is, therefore, a transitional period, in which Eastern Christianity in America will cease to be the exclusive property of ethnic enclaves. Its membership and above all its leadership, will look more like America as a whole, drawing people of all races and backgrounds, linked only by a desire to worship in a particular manner that they see as pleasing to God. During this time, there will be losses among those who have become "lukewarm" or even cold to Eastern Christianity, who see it as a burden rather than a gift. It is sad that they will go elsewhere, at least for a while, but this is also an opportunity for renewal as their places are taken by people who have true enthusiasm, who bring zeal and skills and a desire to share the gift with others, so that Eastern Christians once more look to fulfilling the Great Commission.

We may shrink for a while; we may even come to look like the "saving remnant", but I firmly believe that, for many reasons too complex to elaborate here, Eastern Christianity offers something vital for those who would turn their hearts back to Christ, and, because it stands outside of the Western Christian paradigm that gave birth in sequence to the Renaissance, the Reformation, the Enlightenment and the modern era, a viable alternative to the current culture that grew out of Western Christianity and is now destroying it.

So, nil desperandum! Numbers don't matter so much, but faith does. As long as two or three are gathered together, Christ is among us.

"I know that there are statistics on the Eastern Catholic Churches, through the CNEWA. http://www.cnewa.org/generalpg-verus.aspx?pageID=125 "

I would trust these only for the number of clergy. The estimates provided for the number of faithful in each jurisdiction are a statistical mess, and for all practical purposes worthless. I would suspect that attempts to make similar estimates of membership in Orthodox Churches would lead to the same statistically useless aggregation of numbers.

Well Said...