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Podcast Monday - Is Orthodoxy in Decline?

You’ve probably heard it. You may have even said it yourself. That alarmist cry: “the Church is shrinking!” And why shouldn’t we be alarmed when studies and polls seem to regularly support the idea that the Church in America has a rapidly dwindling future?

Even without professional studies and statistics, many would agree from personal experience that the Church is quickly becoming marginalized in the face of popular culture and other influences of the modern era.

Perhaps all of this has led you to ask yourself, “Is Orthodoxy in decline”? Fr. John Ivanoff, director of the Orthodox Natural Church Development program, and our own Steven Christoforou, explore this question in a thought-provoking podcast hosted by Ancient Faith’s Kevin Allen, located here.

As you listen, consider:

  1. How does one measure the “vitality” of a church? Is it a matter of numbers, or a certain level of outreach, of growth, or of something else?
  2. What does it look like to be a practicing Orthodox Christian? How would an Orthodox Christian’s day-to-day life appear, and what would be essential components of this practice of Orthodoxy?
  3. What might be some of the problems in the Church that lead to a low retention of its baptized members? Are our youth simply no longer interested in God, or is the Church not providing what lost young people are looking for?
  4. What unique traits does the Church possess that can fill the particular emptiness of many people today?
  5. How might we, as Orthodox Christians, act to reverse this decline? As faithful friends, parents, and evangelists?

- Anthony
Anthony Ladas is a student at Fordham University and currently an intern for Y2AM.