actually it was GOA GOARCH i was referring to.

Here is the 2010 census of Orthodox churches

http://www.orthodoxreality.org/


NOTE ADHERENTS VS REGULAR ATTENDEES *****

Obviously flawed statistics.

Hay,

I can't attest to the numbers. I don't know enough, but the categories are much more useful than the ones to which we have access in the BCC. Thanks.

CDL

carson - that is a huge church compared to the ones i've attended!

haydukovich,

I do understand that in most areas our churches are quite small. Let us praise God in whatever setting we find ourselves. I do think that there are ways to be obedient to the Evangel call that Christ gives all of us, no matter in what situation we find ourselves. Proper stats can be helpful. They aren't essential. I'm fairly certain that most Christian churches have very little understanding of the stats of other churches. For that matter a local Church can grow despite what the eparchy does. We need to just do it.

Care for the people wherever they are and that goes for all of our members.

That someone decided to do a head count, instead of estimating off the last real census from decades earlier. There comes a time when even the most cockeyed optimist has to accept the evidence of his own eyes.

As for the Apostolic Exarchate of Sofia the Statistics for 2010 were much more realistic and precise, at least concerning the numbers of the secular and religious priests, which in the file for 2011 are simply not accurate.


And the Melkite Exarchate of Kuwait does not exist just formally - http://www.rcckw.com/gallery.html

I think a more accurate counting of average attendance at our churches might be found by counting the number of cars in the lot and multiplying by 5. It couldn't be any worse.

Multiply by five for each minivan, by three for each sedan, and by two for each coupe.

But one gets a bigger count if one multiplies by five for every vehicle. Besides I know some vans that can easily carry 8.

I hadn't thought to look at the stats for the Exarchate, though I should have have. At the end of last year, my brother and friend, ag_vn, and I spent some considerable time compiling directory entries for the Byzantine Bulgarian Church.

There are no more than 19 active temples of the Church, and not all of those can truly be termed 'active parishes'.

The number includes at least one geographically remote and ancient church that has no regular schedule of Divine Liturgy and likely is served only for funerals of its village's elderly population. Another is a chapel located in the Resuurectionist Fathers' seminary in Poland which serves to train the Order's Byzantine Bulgarian priests.

Yet another is a beautiful and (relatively) new church, under the patronage of Blessed John Paul II, but in which the Divine Liturgy appears to only be served on major occasions - a nearby monastery chapel being the ordinary place of worship. And, in total, three of the 'parishes' are principally the chapels of monastic or religious communities, perhaps also serving a parish function.

2010 data at left: 2011 data at right

21 - parishes - 21
5 - secular priests - 16
16 - religious priests - 5
20 - male religious - 3
38 - female religious - 65

My brother can speak much more authoritatively than me on the validity of the 2011 versus 2010 data. However, I confidently vouch for what he has said. The Exarchate is very dependent on religious order priests - principally the Assumptionists, the Resurrectionists, and the Salesians of Don Bosco - and its website makes abundantly clear that the numbers of the three orders are significantly more than those of the secular clergy.

And, while Eucharistine and (if memory serves correctly, Carmelite) Sisters serve in the Exarchate, I saw nothing to suggest that their numbers would be nearly double those stated in 2010. As to male religious, I've once again forgotten who exactly is counted in that statistic, but the '3' reported in 2011 may be more accurate for that category.



I don't disagree. It certainly doesn't truly function on the level of a patriarchal exarchate. I believe there is the single small temple pictured in the photos and that the assigned priest serves as patriarchal vicar. It has a diverse but, as I remember, principally Palestinian congregation.

I strongly suspect that, in addition to the desire to provide the Palestinian Melkites with pastoral care, it is symbolically important since Kuwait is among the most religiously tolerant of the Arab states. As well, I believe that it may represent the furthest outpost of the acknowledged 'historical territories' of the Melkite Patriarchate - and, thus, be an important place in which to maintain an ecclesial foothold.

Many years,

Neil

Dan,

Of course you have. The annual vetting of these is as much a traditon here as observance of the Leave-Taking of the Great Pumpkin.

If it weren't for the yearly appearance of this thread and the annual enumeration of splinter groups dubbing themselves as 'Ukrainian Orthodox', however would we keep our minds sharp at counting?

Many years,

Neil

I don't mind the discussion. I just wish the numbers were a bit more accurate. I also wish a list of deceased priests would be included by name.

For what it's worth...

the numbers for the Eparchy of Phoenix are quite accurate. There are (according to the latest census for the Bishop's Appeal) 878 registered households in the Eparchy of Phoenix, so if my math is correct that's 2.91685 persons per household.