Denominational Profile
History
Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church of America |
renamed toOrthodox Church in America, The (1970) |
|
| The Orthodox Church in America is the original Eastern Orthodox body to establish work in the United States. It was founded in 1794 by a group of monks as the American mission of the Russian Orthodox Church. It assumed its present name in 1970. |
Membership Data
| Year |
Clergy |
Churches |
Members |
| 1970 |
362 |
312 |
1,000,000 |
| 1971 |
448 |
387 |
1,000,000 |
| 1972 |
455 |
370 |
1,000,000 |
| 1973 |
460 |
375 |
1,000,000 |
| 1975 |
498 |
410 |
1,000,000 |
| 1978 |
531 |
440 |
1,000,000 |
| 1999 |
796 |
710 |
1,000,000 |
| 2000 |
830 |
721 |
1,000,000 |
| 2002 |
873 |
725 |
900,000 |
| 2003 |
876 |
731 |
1,000,000 |
| 2004 |
905 |
737 |
1,064,000 |
| 2009 |
970 |
750 |
131,000 |
Data were taken from the National Council of Churches' Historic Archive CD and recent editions of the Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches. Denomination descriptions provided by Dr. J. Gordon Melton, Director, Institute for the Study of American Religion (ISAR). [More information on data sources]
