Are All Orthodox Churches The Same?

Steeple of an Eastern Orthodox Church

Many inquirers into the Orthodox Faith start in a similar place: wondering why there are so many. Greek, Russian, Antiochian, Georgian, Serbian, Romanian… And along with that curiosity comes a host of other questions. Exactly how many of these “national” churches are there? And does this mean I have to be (insert ethnicity here) to attend services at this church? How is this church different from the other Orthodox churches in my town/city? We explore all of that, and more, in this post!

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

What is the Eastern Orthodox Church?

The word Orthodox is a combination of two Greek words orthos and doxa. Orthos means “straight” or “correct.” Doxa means “glory,” “worship,” and “doctrine.” So, the word Orthodox means both “proper worship” and “correct doctrine.” Eastern Orthodoxy (sometimes simply called the Orthodox Church) has an organic and continuous 2,000-year history spanning from the time of Jesus’ apostles to the present. In other words, what we call today the Eastern Orthodox Church (EOC) is the original Church that wrote, compiled and canonized the Holy Scriptures. It is the Church that formulated the traditional doctrines of Christianity. And it remains largely unchanged to this day.

Read More: What is the Orthodox Church?

Eastern Orthodox vs. “Oriental” Orthodox

With both Eastern (Chalcedonian) and Oriental (Non-Chalcedonian) Orthodox using the word Orthodox in their nomenclature, some people believe these churches are under the same umbrella. However, there are irreconcilable differences between our churches that stem from Oriental Orthodoxy’s rejection of the fourth ecumenical council. As such, the Eastern Orthodox Church is not – and has not been – in communion with the Non-Chalcedonian churches for nearly 1600 years.

Eastern or Greek Orthodox?

Historically, the term “Greek Orthodox” has been used to describe all Eastern Orthodox Churches in general. In these cases, “Greek” referred to the heritage of the Byzantine Empire. Theologians utilized the Greek language in early writings, and Greek was spoken widely throughout the Empire. Over the next several centuries, most parts of the liturgy, traditions, and practices of the church of Constantinople (Greek in their nature) were adopted by all, and still provide the basic patterns of modern Orthodox Christianity. Thus, the Eastern Church came to be called “Greek” Orthodox.

Related: 10 Misconceptions About The Eastern Orthodox Church

Beginning in the 10th century, Orthodox Christians around the globe began abandoning the “Greek” identifier, replacing it with their own ethnicities (Serbian, Antiochian, etc.) Today, only churches explicitly tied to Greek or Byzantine culture call themselves Greek Orthodox.

How many different types of Orthodox churches are out there?

Most Orthodox churches today fall into either Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy. In addition to these, some other churches exist that have no affiliation, mostly in the West.

Within the EOC there are 14 autocephalous regional churches (plus the Orthodox Church in America*) that exist in full communion with one another. This essentially means these churches share the same core beliefs about doctrine, Holy Tradition, and interpretation of Scripture. The only differences you might find would be cultural (language, architecture, local customs) or administrative (different priests, bishops, etc.). All Eastern Orthodox churches follow the same basic hierarchical structure, but the people in those positions differ depending on jurisdiction.


Conciliar vs. Hierarchical

The governance of the global Orthodox Church is conciliar, which means no patriarch or jurisdiction has more authority than any other. At the same time, the Church also has a hierarchy in place within each of its autocephalous churches. This allows for internal order and stability, while also preventing one hierarch from claiming control of the global Church (as we see in Roman Catholicism).

*Only the Russian, Bulgarian, Georgian, Polish, the Czech-Slovak churches recognize the Orthodox Church in America as autocephalous. So, depending on which archdiocese you attend or visit, the number of autocephalous churches is either 14 or 15.

The conciliar organizational structure of the Eastern Orthodox Church. You can check out this Wikipedia article for a full list of all Orthodox churches, including those in Oriental Orthodoxy and other communions.

Internal hierarchy of the Church

Each autocephalous church within Orthodoxy institutes a hierarchy of ordained clergy (see Image 2 below). Underneath the chart are brief descriptions of each position.

You may notice the position of Ecumenical Patriarch at the top-most position under the Bishop category. That’s because the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople holds the position of Primus Inter Pares, or the First Among Equals. It may sound like the Ecumenical Patriarch is the head of everything. However, his title is merely honorary; in other words, it does not grant any authority over any of the other Patriarchs.

Image 2: Hierarchy within each jurisdiction of the Eastern Orthodox Church

Description of Hierarchy Positions

Patriarch – head of a Church (e.g. Serbian, Antiochian)
Archbishop – head of the capital city or Orthodox country (e.g. Syria, Thessalonica)
Metropolitan – head of a large city or a diocese
Bishop – oversees a special community of Orthodox Christians or a diocese and possesses complete priesthood; ordains clergy; selected only from monastic priests
Titular Bishop – assistant to Bishop; not in complete charge of a city


Archimandrite – title of honor awarded to monastic priests
Protopriest / Protopresbyter – titular honor given only to non-monastic priests
Archpriest – title of honor given to non-monastic priests; placed over many parishes
Hieromonk – destined priest (aka “priest monk”)
Presbyter / Priest – presides over an individual parish


Protodeacon – titular honor awarded to non-monastic deacons
Archdeacon – senior deacon in a diocese; in charge of serving in hierarchical services; normally with the bishop
Hierodeacon – deacon monk
Deacon – ordained servant who assists the priest


The Minor Orders
Subdeacons aid the bishop or priest in multiple ways, but never with administration of the sacraments. Readers read scripture during services.

Sounds like a federation of nationalistic churches…

On the contrary! Think of it this way: the Orthodox Church is structured as One Church. However, that Church has several “jurisdictions,” which were established and expanded by missionaries and by the immigrant communities who came to America. The doctrine and worship of each jurisdiction and parish is the same. But in some, languages other than English might still be used in services. Simple, right?

Russian, Greek, Serbian, Antiochian – it is all the same Orthodox Church. To illustrate this, our parish here at Saint John’s is part of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, which traces its roots to first century Antioch, the city in which the disciples of Jesus Christ were first called Christians. In contrast, just down the river in Ambridge, there is another Orthodox Church that exists under the Greek Archdiocese. We believe the same things they do about God, Jesus Christ, and all the intricacies of the Faith. And we celebrate the same Divine Liturgy they do, but our architecture and language are a bit different.

Conclusion

The Eastern Orthodox Church is a lot simpler than people believe when first encountering her. She is an incredibly beautiful, diverse family of followers of Jesus Christ, who all worship according to local customs and tradition, and collectively follow the doctrine set forth by the Fathers in the days of the ancient Church. We are not all Greeks, nor are we all Serbs. The Orthodox Church embodies every ethnicity, every language, every race. And we are all the children of God.

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7 Responses

  1. Very informative. As a cradle orthodox, I am starting to learn the reasons behind many of the things I did, because that’s “the way I was taught”.

  2. Here’s what I believe:
    We are all [children] of God through faith in Christ Jesus. … There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; [there is neither Orthodox or Protestant] for [we] are all one in Christ Jesus.
    I am a Christian. Period. And you are my family.
    Love in Christ.
    Helen

    1. Helen,

      Christ is in our midst. While you are certainly entitled to your belief, we would like to pose a question: given that Christ established a Church, with dogmatic boundaries (certain beliefs that were correct) that made clear when someone strayed into heresy (incorrect belief), where is that Church? It cannot be both the Orthodox Church and the Presbyterian Church (as an example), nor can it be both the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church. Why? Because there are fundamental dogmatic and doctrinal disagreements regarding the relationships among the Persons of the Trinity, the underlying motivation/reasoning for Christ’s Crucifixion, etc. And such differences create Christianity’s that look quite foreign to one another. Therefore it is impossible for both to be correct, for both to be the One True Church. It is in our communion of belief that we are one in Christ Jesus. But if we believe fundamentally different things about Christ, His relationship to the Father and the Holy Spirit, His Crucifixion, etc., then we are not really in true communion.

      We pray for the unity of all Christians back into the shelter of His Church. But unfortunately, that has not yet come to pass. God bless you.

  3. Thank you so much for this information and truths being stated in this article and in the comments. I truly believe the Holy Spirit has called me to the church. I am eager to learn as this calling is less than a month ago. I have left the Baptist Church and realize I am an infant. I have reached out to the nearest church to me given by this website, and will attend on Sunday. I am bringing my wife and children as well. The more I study and research, the more I realize I am an infant who is hungry and knows nothing.

    1. James,

      Christ is Risen! Glory to God – we are overjoyed to hear that you have found Christ in His Church. We are praying for all of you as you begin this wonderful, life-changing journey. God bless!

    1. Donna,

      Christ is in our midst! With all due respect, there is no such thing. Only men can be ordained to the priesthood to serve as priests to the Lord. While we are all part of the royal priesthood and holy nation, there is a special ordination set aside for those men who are to serve the Lord as His priests, deacons, and bishops. God bless.

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