A recent study published by the Hartford Institute for Religion revealed that Orthodox parishes in the US experienced a smaller decline in congregational numbers during the pandemic than other religious denominations and have been more successful in attracting new members during this period.
Nationally, all liturgical communities in the US, regardless of denomination, lost an average of 31% of their in-person attendees during the pandemic, and recovery has not been complete, with a remaining 8% fewer participants as compared to 2020.
In contrast, despite losing approximately 32% of in-person attendees during the pandemic, Orthodox parishes had fully recovered their pre-pandemic attendance levels by 2023.
One possible explanation is Orthodox Christians’ strong attachment to physical participation and elaborate rituals, which include censing, processions, and other aspects. While 75% of congregations across all Christian denominations in the US broadcast their services online, only 53% of American Orthodox churches did so.
This reluctance to move services online may also explain why Orthodox communities in the US have been more successful than other denominations in attracting new members during the pandemic.
By early 2023, 15% of members in a typical Orthodox parish had joined since the beginning of the pandemic, compared to an average of only 10% in other American religious congregations.
According to the study’s authors, the fact that Orthodox churches remained open for most of the pandemic likely helped many individuals affected by social isolation.
The Hartford Institute’s study, titled “Exploring the Impact of the Pandemic on Faith Communities,” was funded by the Lily Endowment and used data collected by Faith Communities Today in 2020 from over 15,000 Christian communities for comparison.
The following survey, scheduled for November 2024, will continue to explore these themes, examine how the pandemic’s impact continues to change congregational practices and gather insights from both clergy and laypeople.
Source: basilica.ro
