Statement On The Church In North America
STATEMENT ON THE CHURCH IN NORTH AMERICA
STANDING
CONFERENCE OF CANONICAL ORTHODOX
BISHOPS IN THE
AMERICAS
CONFERENCE OF
BISHOPS
Antiochian
November 30
We, the Orthodox Hierarchs in the United States
and Canada, assembled
at the Antiochian
Village, Ligonier, Pennsylvania from November 30 through December 2,
most sincere gratitude to the venerable Fathers and Brothers, the Hierarchs of our
Mother Churches beyond the seas for
their love and concern, exhibited by
the prominence given to the "diaspora" on the agenda for
in the Adopted Texts of the
Inter-Orthodox Preparatory
Commission.
We await the next meeting of the Commission
referred to in the Adopted Text of
the Church in North America be directly
and concretely represented at that and future meetings. How is it possible for there to be discussion about the future of the Church in North America in our absence? We must be present
to share the two hundred years of experience that
territories that have
His All-Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch
to seek a way, through the venerable Hierarchs of the Standing
the other Mother Churches to
support this initiative. The demands upon our Church's life by
for its officers to be granted an
Patriarch and the other Patriarchs
and Primates of the Mother Churches
to discuss the North American reality.
Furthermore, we have agreed that we cannot accept the term
"diaspora" as used to
term is ecclesiologically problematic. It diminishes the fullness of the faith that we have lived and experienced
ways in which the Church in North America has matured, it is important to
recognize that much has been done as the natural and organic response of Orthodox Christians who
share the same faith while living together in one
already existing structures. Some are formal. The first of these is SCOBA itself. There are in addition various
agencies of SCOBA
such as the International
Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC), the Orthodox Christian Education Commission (OCEC), the Orthodox Theological
American-wide pan-Orthodox efforts. There are also less formal structures such
as the joint meetings of
our theological schools and seminarians,
the joint monastic assemblies, the local councils of churches and clergy
brotherhoods, and sacred art and liturgical music associations. They give
witness to the strong foundation upon which we continue to build.
To this end, all of our efforts should be
coordinated within an
overall ecclesial framework.
This would provide the freedom and flexibility to allow us to organically
united Church. As in any Orthodox ecclesiological
local Church there are three levels. The first is the
diocesan. And the third is the local
or deanery. All of these depend upon
and grow out of the parish which is the primary place where
On the national or continental level the body
which coordinates the life of a Church is
the Synod of Bishops. We have had in SCOBA an Executive Committee that has
guided Church life in North America for over
thirty years. In convening this present
Conference of Bishops, we find
ourselves to be an Episcopal Assembly, a
precursor to a General Synod of
Bishops. We express our joy that in addition to the regular meetings of SCOBA,
basis to enhance the movement toward
The regional level presents a special challenge
because this is one area in which few models of cooperation presently exist. Bishops who
regularly. They should coordinate activities, encourage clergy and laity to get to know one another
and to work together, and
initiate concrete joint programs. In essence, they should duplicate regionally
continental level for the past thirty three years.
The local level is where the greatest diversity
of models presently exists.
These range from
very informal clergy
or lay associations to highly structured clergy brotherhoods
or clergy and lay councils of churches. The bishops of a given
together with other
model, bishops should seek to
formalize and regularize those models that already exist. In areas where there
in that locality. The principle is to encourage diverse models
The Church in North America also benefits
together should be encouraged by their hierarchs so that the monastics might share their spiritual experience and
wisdom with one another and with the
We would like to emphasize again:
outline or framework
within which the whole Church in North America can grow
in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father who sent Him, and the Holy Spirit who continually makes Him known to us.
The visible unity of the Church is a profound witness of our love for Him and for one another.
and bless our Christ-loving flocks: the pious priests, deacons, monastics, and laity--who, praying and laboring
their prayers and
glory of God and His Holy Church.
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