Eastern Orthodox Church

== Organisation and leadership ==

{{Main|Eastern Orthodox Church organization}}
{{See also|Canon law of the Eastern Orthodox Church}}
[[File:Timeline of the History of the main autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Churches, E. Orthodox point of view (2022).svg|thumb|A timeline showing the main autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches, from an Eastern Orthodox point of view, up to 2022]]
[[File:Canonical_territories_of_autocephalous_and_autonomous_Eastern_Orthodox_jurisdictions_(2022).svg|alt=|thumb|The [[Canonical territories]] of the main autocephalous and autonomous Eastern Orthodox jurisdictions as of 2022]]

The Eastern Orthodox Church is a fellowship of [[Autocephaly|autocephalous]] ({{lang-grc|αὐτοκέφαλος}}; "self-headed") churches, with the [[ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople]] recognised as having ''[[primus inter pares]]'' status. The patriarch of Constantinople has the honour of primacy, but his title is only ''first among equals'' and he has no real authority over churches other than the Constantinopolitan church. Rather, his role is limited to defined prerogatives interpreted by the ecumenical patriarch.<ref name=bbc>{{cite web|title=Eastern Orthodox Church|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/subdivisions/easternorthodox_1.shtml|publisher=BBC|access-date=26 July 2015}}</ref><ref name=facts>{{cite web|title=Eastern Orthodoxy|url=http://www.religionfacts.com/orthodox-christianity|website=ReligionFacts|access-date=26 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150627011432/http://www.religionfacts.com/orthodox-christianity|archive-date=27 June 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Lewis Patsavos|title=The Primacy of the See of Constantinople in Theory and Practice* – Theology – Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America|url=https://www.goarch.org/-/the-primacy-of-the-see-of-constantinople-in-theory-and-practice-|access-date=28 October 2023|website=Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=First Without Equals – A Response to the Text on Primacy of the Moscow Patriarchate|url=https://ocl.org/first-without-equals-a-response-to-the-text-on-primacy-of-the-moscow-patriarchate/|website=Orthodox Christian Laity|date=13 May 2019|access-date=28 October 2023}}</ref> At times, though, the office of the ecumenical patriarch has been accused of Constantinopolitan or Eastern [[Popery|papism]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://orthochristian.com/117117.html|title=Archpriest Vadim Leonov. Constantinople Papism|website=Orthodox Christianity|access-date=28 October 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://orthochristian.com/115685.html|title=Archpriest Andrei Novikov. The Apotheosis of Eastern Papism|website=Orthodox Christianity|access-date=20 October 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=14 December 2020|title=Ecumenical Patriarch: Allegations spread about "papal claims" of the Ecumenical Patriarchate are completely false|url=https://orthodoxtimes.com/ecumenical-patriarch-allegations-spread-about-papal-claims-of-the-ecumenical-patriarchate-are-completely-false/|access-date=15 December 2020|website=Orthodox Times}}</ref>

The Eastern Orthodox Church considers [[Jesus|Jesus Christ]] to be the head of the Church and the Church to be his body. It is believed that Church authority and the [[Divine grace|grace of God]] is directly passed down to Orthodox [[bishop]]s and other [[clergy]] through the [[laying on of hands]]—a practice started by the [[Apostles in the New Testament|New Testament apostles]]{{em dash}}and that this unbroken historical link is an essential element of the [[One true church|true church]] ({{Bibleverse|Acts|8:17}}; {{Bibleverse|1 Timothy|4:14}}; {{Bibleverse|Hebrews|6:2}}) The Eastern Orthodox Church asserts that [[Apostolic succession|apostolic succession]] requires apostolic faith, and bishops without apostolic faith, who are in [[heresy]], forfeit their claim to apostolic succession.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Morris |first1=Fr. John |title=An Orthodox Response to the Recent Roman Catholic Declaration on the Nature of the Church |journal=The Word |issue=October 2007 |date=October 2007 |url=http://www.antiochian.org/node/17076 |access-date=22 May 2014 |ref=none }}</ref> Orthodox churches differentiate themselves from other Christian churches by practising "[[ritual]] and [[liturgy]]... rich in mystery and symbolism,"<ref name=":022">{{Cite book |last=Salamone |first=Frank A. |title=Encyclopedia of Religious Rites, Rituals, and Festivals |publisher=[[Routledge]] |year=2004 |isbn=0-415-94180-6 |editor-last=Levinson |editor-first=David |location=New York |pages=304}}</ref> similar to their views on the sacraments.

The Eastern Orthodox communion is organised into several regional churches, which are either autocephalous or lower-ranking [[Autonomy (Eastern Orthodoxy)|autonomous]] ("self-governing") church bodies unified in [[theology]] and worship. These include the fourteen autocephalous churches of the [[Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople|Constantinople]], [[Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria|Alexandria]], [[Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East|Antioch]], [[Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem|Jerusalem]], [[Georgian Orthodox Church|Georgia]], [[Church of Cyprus|Cyprus]], [[Bulgarian Orthodox Church|Bulgaria]], [[Serbian Orthodox Church|Serbia]], [[Russian Orthodox Church|Russia]], [[Church of Greece|Greece]], [[Polish Orthodox Church|Poland]], [[Romanian Orthodox Church|Romania]], [[Albanian Orthodox Church|Albania]], and the [[Czech and Slovak Orthodox Church|Czech Republic and Slovakia]], which were officially invited to the [[Pan-Orthodox Council]] of 2016;<ref name=council2016>{{cite web|url=https://www.holycouncil.org/churches|title=The Orthodox Churches – The Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church|website=Holy and Great Council|date=19 June 2016|accessdate=14 October 2023}}</ref> the [[Orthodox Church in America]] formed in 1970; the autocephalous [[Orthodox Church of Ukraine]] created in 2019; the [[Macedonian Orthodox Church – Ohrid Archbishopric]], granted autocephaly by the Serbian Orthodox Church in 2022;<ref>{{cite web |last1=Testorides |first1=Konstantin |title=Churches of Serbia, North Macedonia, end decades-old dispute |url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/churches-serbia-north-macedonia-end-decades-dispute-84937419 |website=ABC |publisher=Associated Press |access-date=25 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220525234638/https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/churches-serbia-north-macedonia-end-decades-dispute-84937419 |archive-date=25 May 2022}}</ref> and a number of autonomous churches.<ref name=bbc /> Each church has a ruling [[bishop]] and a [[Holy Synod|holy synod]] to administer its jurisdiction and lead the Eastern Orthodox Church in the preservation and teaching of the apostolic and [[wikt:patristic|patristic]] traditions and church practices.

Each bishop has a territory ([[episcopal see|see]]) over which he governs.<ref name=facts/> His main duty is to make sure the traditions and practices of the Eastern Orthodox Church are preserved. Bishops are equal in authority and cannot interfere in the jurisdiction of another bishop. Administratively, these bishops and their territories are organised into various autocephalous groups or [[synod]]s of bishops who gather together at least twice each year to discuss the state of affairs within their respective sees. While bishops and their autocephalous synods have the ability to administer guidance in individual cases, their actions do not usually set precedents that affect the entire Eastern Orthodox Church. Bishops are almost always chosen from the monastic ranks and must remain unmarried.

=== Church councils ===

[[File:Rylands Nicene Creed papyrus.jpg|thumb|Oldest extant manuscript of the [[Nicene Creed]], dated to the fifth Century|256x256px]]

The ecumenical councils followed a democratic form, with each bishop having one vote. Though present and allowed to speak before the council, members of the [[Roman Empire|Imperial Roman]]/[[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] court, abbots, priests, deacons, monks and laymen were not allowed to vote. The primary goal of these great synods was to verify and confirm the fundamental beliefs of the [[Great Church|Great Christian Church]] as truth, and to remove as heresy any false teachings that would threaten the Christian Church. The [[Pope|pope of Rome]] at that time held the position of ''[[primus inter pares]]'' ("first among equals") and, while he was not present at any of the councils, he continued to hold this title until the [[East–West Schism]] of 1054.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Archpriest Vladislav Tsypin. "First Without Equals"|url=https://orthochristian.com/128964.html|access-date=28 October 2023|website=Orthodox Christianity}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=The 1,000-Year-Old Schism That Pope Francis Seeks To Heal|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2014/05/21/314270024/the-1-000-year-old-schism-that-pope-francis-seeks-to-heal|access-date=17 June 2020|website=NPR}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Background of Ecumenical Patriarchate|url=http://www.orthodoxchristian.info/pages/history_EP.htm|access-date=28 October 2023|website=Ecumenical Patriarch}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Logan|first=John B.|date=March 1964|title=The Orthodox Church. By Timothy Ware. Penguin Books, Middlesex, 1963. Pp. 352. 6s.|journal=Scottish Journal of Theology|volume=17|issue=1|pages=117–119|doi=10.1017/s0036930600006256|issn=0036-9306}}</ref>

Other councils have helped to define the Eastern Orthodox position, specifically the [[Quinisext Council]], the Synods of [[Constantinople]], [[Fourth Council of Constantinople (Eastern Orthodox)|879–880]], [[Fifth Council of Constantinople|1341, 1347, 1351]], 1583, 1819, and [[Phyletism|1872]], the [[Synod of Iași]], 1642, and the Pan-Orthodox [[Synod of Jerusalem (1672)|Synod of Jerusalem]], 1672; the [[Pan-Orthodox Council]], held in Greece in 2016, was the only such Eastern Orthodox council in modern times.

According to Eastern Orthodox teaching the position of "first among equals" gives no additional power or authority to the bishop that holds it, but rather that this person sits as organisational head of a council of equals (like a president).<ref>{{Citation|title=Gsell, Most Rev. Francis Xavier (27 Oct. 1872–12 July 1960), RC Bishop of Darwin, 1938–49; Titular Bishop of Paris; assistant at the Pontifical throne, Rome, 1951|date=1 December 2007|work=Who Was Who|publisher=Oxford University Press|doi=10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u238027}}

"Everywhere following the decrees of the Holy Fathers, and aware of the recently recognized Canon of the one hundred and fifty most God-beloved Bishops who convened during the reign of Theodosius the Great of pious memory, who became emperor in the imperial city of Constantinople otherwise known as New Rome; we too decree and vote the same things in regard to the privileges and priorities of the most holy Church of that same Constantinople and New Rome. And this is in keeping with the fact that the Fathers naturally enough granted the priorities to the throne of Old Rome on account of her being the imperial capital. And motivated by the same object and aim the one hundred and fifty most God-beloved Bishops have accorded the like priorities to the most holy throne of New Rome, with good reason deeming that the city which is the seat of an empire, and of a senate, and is equal to old imperial Rome in respect of other privileges and priorities, should be magnified also as she is in respect of ecclesiastical affairs, as coming next after her, or as being second to her."</ref>

One of the decisions made by the [[First Council of Constantinople]] (the second ecumenical council, meeting in 381) and supported by later such councils was that the Patriarch of Constantinople should be given equal honour to the Pope of Rome since Constantinople was considered to be the "[[New Rome]]". According to the third [[Canon (canon law)|canon]] of the second ecumenical council: "Because [Constantinople] is new Rome, the bishop of Constantinople is to enjoy the privileges of honor after the bishop of Rome".<ref>Christopher M. Bellitto, ''The General Councils: A History of the Twenty-one General Councils from Nicaea to Vatican II'', Paulist Press, 2002, p. 41.</ref>

The 28th canon of the fourth ecumenical council clarified this point by stating: "For the Fathers rightly granted privileges to the throne of Old Rome because it was the royal city. And the One Hundred and Fifty most religious Bishops (i.e. the second ecumenical council in 381) actuated by the same consideration, gave equal privileges to the most holy throne of New Rome, justly judging that the city which is honoured with the Sovereignty and the Senate, and enjoys equal privileges with the old imperial Rome, should in ecclesiastical matters also be magnified as she is."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.goarch.org/-/the-leadership-of-the-ecumenical-patriarchate-and-the-significance-of-canon-28-of-chalcedon|last=Faculty of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology|title=The Leadership of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Significance of Canon 28 of Chalcedon – Theology – Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America|website=Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America|date=30 April 2009|access-date=30 October 2023}}</ref>

Because of the schism, the Eastern Orthodox no longer recognise the primacy of the pope of Rome. The patriarch of Constantinople therefore, like the Pope before him, now enjoys the title of "first among equals".

=== Adherents ===

{{Further|Eastern Orthodoxy by country}}
[[File:World Eastern Orthodox population.png|thumb|500px|Percentage distribution of Eastern Orthodox Christians by country]]
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The most reliable estimates currently available number Eastern Orthodox adherents at around 220 million worldwide,<ref name="Atlas">{{Cite book |last1=Brien |first1=Joanne O. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PbIwDwAAQBAJ&q=russian+orthodox+church+followers+membership+adherents+million&pg=PT12 |title=The Atlas of Religion |last2=Palmer |first2=Martin |date=2007 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-24917-2 |page=22 |quote=There are over 220 million Orthodox Christians worldwide.}}</ref> making Eastern Orthodoxy the second largest Christian [[Koinonia|communion]] in the world after the [[Catholic Church]].<ref name=adherents>{{cite web|title=Major branches of religions ranked by number of adherents |website=Adherents |url=http://www.adherents.com/adh_branches.html#Christianity |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990819112057/http://adherents.com/adh_branches.html#Christianity |url-status=usurped |archive-date=19 August 1999 |access-date=22 May 2014}}</ref>{{Efn|The numerous [[Protestantism|Protestant]] groups in the world, if taken all together, substantially outnumber the Eastern Orthodox, but they differ theologically and do not form a single communion.{{sfn|Diamond|Plattner|Costopoulos|2005|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=CTqTeiBfdxEC&pg=PP1 119]}} }}

According to the 2015 Yearbook of International Religious Demography, as of 2010, the Eastern Orthodox population was 4% of the global population, declining from 7.1% in 1910. The study also found a decrease in proportional terms, with Eastern Orthodox Christians making up 12.2% of the world's total Christian population in 2015 compared to 20.4% a century earlier.<ref name="Yearbook">{{cite book|title=Yearbook of International Religious Demography 2015|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DToLCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA156|date=29 June 2015|publisher=Brill|isbn=978-90-04-29739-5|page=156}}</ref> A  2017 report by the [[Pew Research Center]] reached similar figures, noting that Eastern Orthodoxy has seen slower growth and less geographic spread than Catholicism and Protestantism, which were driven by [[colonialism]] and [[missionary]] activity across the world.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|last2=|first2=|last3=|first3=|date=8 November 2017|title=Orthodox Christianity in the 21st Century|url=https://www.pewforum.org/2017/11/08/orthodox-christianity-in-the-21st-century/|access-date=24 May 2021|website=Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project}}</ref>

Over two-thirds of all Eastern Orthodox members are concentrated in [[Southern Europe]], [[Eastern Europe]] and [[Asian Russia|Russia]],<ref>Sintia Radu, [https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/2017-12-06/orthodoxism-is-declining-in-the-overall-christian-population Orthodoxism Is Declining in the Overall Christian Population] U.S. News (6 December 2017).</ref> with significant minorities in [[Central Asia]] and the [[Levant]]. However, Eastern Orthodoxy has become more globalised over the last century, seeing greater growth in [[Western Europe]], [[New World|the Americas]], and parts of Africa; churches are present in the major cities of most countries.<ref>{{Citation|last=Veronis|first=Luke|title=Orthodox Missions|date=21 March 2011|url=https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopedia-of-christianity/orthodox-missions-O209?s.num=0&s.f.s2_parent=s.f.book.encyclopedia-of-christianity&s.q=luke+veronis|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Christianity Online|publisher=Brill|language=en|access-date=8 December 2021}}.</ref> Adherents constitute the largest single religious [[faith|community]] in Russia<ref name="Sreda2012">{{cite web|date=19 October 2012|title=Orthodox belonging to Church – 41%|website=SREDA|location=Moscow|url=http://sreda.org/arena?mapcode=code13113}} Based on a survey of 56,900 people interviewed in 2012, responding 41% yes to the statement: "I am Orthodox, and belong to the Russian Orthodox Church."<!-- This url will not archive correctly for use in archive-url.--></ref>{{efn|According to Roman Lunkin in an interview about the 2012 survey published by {{lang|ru|Среда}} (''{{transliteration|ru|Sreda}}''), about 40% of the [[Russian Federation]] population is Orthodox. However, only 5% belong to a parish or regularly attend Divine Liturgy. Lunkin said that this was long known by experts but a myth persists that 80–90% of the population is Orthodox.<ref>{{cite web| last = Филина | first = Ольга | date = 27 August 2012 | title = Верю – не верю | language = ru | website = kommersant.ru | location = Moscow | publisher = [[Коммерсантъ]] | url=http://www.kommersant.ru/doc/1997068| access-date = 27 September 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120827114409/http://kommersant.ru/doc/1997068| archive-date = 27 August 2012 | url-status = live}}</ref> According to ''The World Factbook'' 2006 estimate, 15–20% are practising Russian Orthodox but there is a large populations of non-practising believers.<ref name=CIAWeb/>}}—which is home to roughly half the world's Eastern Orthodox Christians—and are the majority in Ukraine,<ref name="CIAWeb" /><ref name="Razumkov2006">{{cite web|url=http://razumkov.org.ua/ukr/poll.php?poll_id=300|title = Опитування: Віруючим якої церкви, конфесії Ви себе вважаєте? // Центр Разумкова|author = Sparkle Design Studio|url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140408220038/http://razumkov.org.ua/ukr/poll.php?poll_id=300|archive-date = 8 April 2014}}</ref> Romania,<ref name="CIAWeb" /> [[Belarus]],<ref name="Belarus2011">{{Cite web|url=http://www.mfa.gov.by/upload/pdf/religion_eng.pdf|title=Religion and denominations in the Republic of Belarus by the Commissioner on Religions and Nationalities of the Republic of Belarus from November 2011}}</ref> Greece,{{efn|Data are estimated, there are no census figures available, Greece is said to be 98% Orthodox by CIA, but additional studies found only 60–80% believe in God, if true, then no more than 80% may be Orthodox.}}<ref name="CIAWeb">{{CIA World Factbook|article=Field listing :: Religions|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/field/religions/|access-date=22 May 2014}}</ref> [[Serbia]],<ref name="CIAWeb" /> [[Bulgaria]],<ref name="CIAWeb" /> [[Moldova]],<ref name="CIAWeb" /> [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]],<ref name="CIAWeb" /> [[North Macedonia]],<ref name="CIAWeb" /> [[Cyprus]],<ref name="CIAWeb" /> and [[Montenegro]];<ref name="CIAWeb" /> communities also dominate the disputed territories of [[Abkhazia]], [[South Ossetia]] and [[Transnistria]]. Significant Eastern Orthodox minorities exist in [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]],{{Efn|With an absolute majority in the subnational entity of Republika Srpska}}<ref name="CIAWeb" /> [[Latvia]],<ref name="Tieslietu">{{cite web|url=http://www.tm.gov.lv/lv/labumi/TM.docx |title = Tieslietu ministrija iesniegtie religisko organizaciju parskati par darbibu 2011. gada |language = lv |access-date = 25 July 2012 |url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121126013327/http://www.tm.gov.lv/lv/labumi/TM.docx |archive-date = 26 November 2012 }}</ref> [[Estonia]],<ref>"Statistical database: Population Census 2000 – Religious affiliation". Statistics Estonia. 22 October 2002. Retrieved 18 February 2011.</ref> [[Kazakhstan]],<ref name="2013table28">[http://www.stats.govt.nz/Census/2013-census/data-tables/total-by-topic.aspx Table 28, 2013 Census Data – QuickStats About Culture and Identity – Tables].</ref> [[Kyrgyzstan]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2001/5598.htm |title=Kyrgyzstan |publisher=U.S. Department of State Archive |access-date=17 April 2010}}</ref> [[Lebanon]],<ref name="freedom">[https://web.archive.org/web/20101123103408/http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2010/148830.htm Lebanon – International Religious Freedom Report 2010] U.S. Department of State. Retrieved on 14 February 2010.</ref> [[Religion in Albania#Religious demography|Albania]], [[Syria]],<ref name="CIAWeb" /> and many other countries.

Eastern Orthodox Christianity is the fastest growing religion in certain Western countries, primarily through labour migration from Eastern Europe, and to a lesser degree conversion.<ref name="Hämmerli" /> Ireland saw a doubling of its Eastern Orthodox population between 2006 and 2011.<ref name="Hämmerli">{{cite book|author1=Maria Hämmerli|author2=Jean-François Mayer|title=Orthodox Identities in Western Europe: Migration, Settlement and Innovation|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2H3fBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA229|date=28 August 2014|publisher=Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.|isbn=978-1-4094-6754-0|page=229|quote=according to the 2011 census, Orthodox Christianity is the fastest growing religious grouping in Ireland, showing&nbsp;...}}</ref><ref name="Aughey">{{cite book|author1=Arthur Aughey|author2=John Oakland|title=Irish Civilization: An Introduction|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8YZiAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA99|date=17 December 2013|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-317-67850-2|page=99|quote=However, the fastest-growing church is the Orthodox Church …}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=1 November 2012|title=Number of Orthodox Christians in Ireland doubled over five years|website=Orthodox Christianity|location=Moscow|publisher=Sretensky Monastery|url=http://www.orthochristian.com/57148.htm|access-date=23 May 2014}} {{tertiary source|biblio=yes|date=September 2015}}</ref> Spain and Germany have the [[Eastern Orthodoxy by country|largest communities in Western Europe]], at roughly 1.5 million each, followed by Italy with around 900,000 and France with between 500,000 and 700,000.

In the [[Americas]], four countries have over 100,000 Eastern Orthodox Christians: Canada, Mexico, Brazil, and the United States; all but the latter had fewer than 20,000 at the turn of the 20th century.<ref name="pewforum.org">{{Cite web|date=8 November 2017|title=Orthodox Christianity's geographic center remains in Central and Eastern Europe|url=https://www.pewforum.org/2017/11/08/orthodox-christianitys-geographic-center-remains-in-central-and-eastern-europe/|access-date=24 May 2021|website=Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project}}</ref> The U.S. has seen its community more than quadruple since 1910, from 460,000 to 1.8 million as of 2017;<ref name="pewforum.org" /> consequently, the number of Eastern Orthodox parishes has been growing, with a 16% increase between 2000 and 2010.<ref name="Jones2010">{{cite news|last=Jones|first=Whitney|date=6 October 2010|title=Report finds strong growth in U.S. Orthodox Churches|website=Huffington Post|agency=Religion News Service|location=New York|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/06/report-finds-strong-growt_n_753447.html|url-status=live|access-date=23 May 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101010060113/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/06/report-finds-strong-growt_n_753447.html|archive-date=10 October 2010}}</ref>{{efn|According to Alexei Krindatch, "the total number of Orthodox parishes" increased by 16% from 2000 to 2010 in the United States, from this, he wrote that Orthodox Churches are growing.<ref name=Krindatch2010>{{cite web|last = Krindatch |first = Alexei D. |date = 2010 |title = {{interp|Highlights from the}} 2010 US Orthodox Christian census |website = Hartford Institute |location = Hartford, CT |publisher = Hartford Institute for Religion Research |url=http://www.hartfordinstitute.org/research/2010-USOrthodox-Census.pdf |access-date = 26 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110523173437/http://www.hartfordinstitute.org/research/2010-USOrthodox-Census.pdf |archive-date = 23 May 2011 |url-status = dead}} Conducted as part of the Religious Congregations and Membership Study 2010.</ref>{{rp|page=2}} Krindatch did not provide figures about any change in the membership over that same period in his 2010 highlight.}}{{efn|According to Oliver Herbel, in ''Turning to Tradition'', the 2008 US Religious Landscape Survey "suggests that if there is growth, it is statistically insignificant."<ref name=Herbel2014>{{cite book|last=Herbel|first=Oliver|year=2014|title=Turning to tradition: converts and the making of an American Orthodox church|location=New York|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-932495-8|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-SZnAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA9|access-date=20 February 2016}}</ref>{{rp|page=9}} The 2014 US Religious Landscape Survey also shows, within the survey's ±9.2% margin of sampling error corresponding to the sample size of the ''Orthodox Christian'' category being 186 people, a statistically insignificant decline within the category "Orthodox Christians" as the percentage of population from 2007 to 2014.<ref name=PewRLS2015>{{cite book|author = Pew Research Center|date = 12 May 2015|title = America's changing religious landscape|location = Washington, DC|publisher = Pew Research Center|url=http://www.pewforum.org/files/2015/05/RLS-08-26-full-report.pdf|access-date = 26 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905170741/http://www.pewforum.org/files/2015/05/RLS-08-26-full-report.pdf|archive-date = 5 September 2015|url-status = live}} Based on 2014 Religious Landscape Survey.</ref>{{rp|pages=4, 21, 36, 93}} But only 53% of people who were Orthodox Christian as children still self identify as Orthodox Christian in 2014.<ref name=PewRLS2015/>{{rp|page=39}} The ''Orthodox Christian'' category "is most heavily made up of immigrants and the children of immigrants."<ref name=PewRLS2015/>{{rp|page=53}}}}

Turkey, which for centuries once had one of the largest Eastern Orthodox communities, saw its overall Christian population fall from roughly one-fifth in 1914 to 2.5% in 1927.<ref>{{cite journal|last=İçduygu|first=Ahmet|author2=Toktaş, Şule|author3=Soner, B. Ali|date=1 February 2008|title=The politics of population in a nation-building process: emigration of non-Muslims from Turkey|journal=Ethnic and Racial Studies|volume=31|issue=2|pages=358–389|doi=10.1080/01419870701491937|s2cid=143541451}}</ref> This was predominantly due to the [[dissolution of the Ottoman Empire]], which saw most Christian territories become independent nations. The remaining Christian population was reduced further by large-scale genocides against the [[Armenian genocide|Armenian]], [[Greek genocide|Greek]], [[Assyrian genocide|Assyrian communities]]; subsequent [[population exchange between Greece and Turkey|population exchanges between Greece and Turkey]]<ref>{{cite web|year=2008|title=Chapter ''The refugees question in Greece (1821–1930)'' in "''Θέματα Νεοελληνικής Ιστορίας''", ΟΕΔΒ (''"Topics from Modern Greek History"''). 8th edition|url=http://ebooks.edu.gr/modules/ebook/show.php/DSGL-C102/79/644,2337/|publisher=Nikolaos Andriotis|format=PDF}}</ref> and Bulgaria and Turkey; and associated [[Christian emigration|emigration of Christians]] to foreign countries (mostly in Europe and [[the Americas]]).<ref>{{cite journal|year=2001|title='Editors' Introduction: Why a Special Issue?: Disappearing Christians of the Middle East|journal=Middle East Quarterly|url=http://www.meforum.org/487/editors-introduction-why-a-special-issue|access-date=11 June 2013|publisher=Editors' Introduction|format=PDF|last1=Quarterly|first1=Middle East}}</ref> Today, only 0.2% of Turkey's population represent either [[Jews]] or various [[Christian denominations]] (320,000).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2011/12/Christianity-fullreport-web.pdf|title=Global Christianity – A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World's Christian Population|publisher=Pew Research Center}}</ref><ref name="CIAWeb" />