AIOPA - The proposal that led to the creation of AIOPA
The proposal for implementing 2018 assembly IX guidance on increasing inter-orthodox parish cooperation led to the creation of AIOPA. The original text is here.
November 30, 2021
His Eminence Metropolitan Alexios
Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Atlanta
2480 Clairmont Road N.E.
Atlanta, GA 30329
Your Eminence,
We pray Your Eminence is well. We are writing to request your endorsement and support of a critical Assembly-approved Project which involves parishes in your diocese.
As you may recall, the 2018 Assembly Meeting passed two motions, which respectively encouraged the work of local clergy brotherhoods and endorsed further exploration of inter-Orthodox parish associations. The latter motion read, in part, as follows:
The Assembly approves and endorses further direct work of the Committee for Canonical Regional Planning with the parishes that belong to the Atlanta Orthodox Clergy Brotherhood and the Akron Clergy Association…. The goal of this work is to explore the possibility of creation in these cities of the first inter-Orthodox parish associations (consisting of clergy and lay representatives from each parish) which would efficiently facilitate and maintain inter-Orthodox parish to-parish communication and cooperation.
To implement this motion, the Committees for Canonical Regional Planning and Clergy Matters plan to immediately initiate work with the respective clergy brotherhoods of Akron, Ohio and Atlanta, Georgia to explore efforts towards improving parish-to-parish cooperation and unity in action. The Project would examine possible ways to organize efficacious cooperation such as developing formal or informal associations of parishes. The existing clergy brotherhoods would serve as the foundation for such efforts. The attachment to this letter gives more background on what the Project entails.
Your endorsement and support of these efforts is critical to its success. We earnestly request that your written endorsement of this Project be provided to all clergy and parishes in these two areas. We greatly appreciate your support for this Project.
If you have any questions, please contact the Assembly’s Director of Operations, Nicholas Anton (nanton@assemblyofbishops.org).
With Brotherly Love in Christ,
Metropolitan Nicolae
Chair, Committee for Canonical Regional Planning
Bishop John
Chair, Committee for Clergy Matters
ASSEMBLY OF CANONICAL OTHODOX BISHOPS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
COMMITTEES FOR CLERGY MATTERS AND CANONICAL REGIONAL PLANNING
PROPOSAL FOR IMPLEMENTING 2018 ASSEMBLY IX GUIDANCE ON INCREASING INTER-ORTHODOX PARISH COOPERATION
This proposal recommends that the Committees for Clergy Matters and Canonical Regional Planning immediately initiate work with the clergy brotherhoods of Akron, Ohio and Atlanta, Georgia to explore efforts towards improving parish-to-parish cooperation and unity in action. This would implement the guidance provided by the Assembly in its 2018 meeting in Cleveland, Ohio. The project would examine possible ways to organize efficacious cooperation such as developing formal or informal associations of parishes. The existing clergy associations would serve as the foundation for such efforts. It would be essential that the project enjoy the clergy’s complete and enthusiastic support.
Following review with and endorsement by the Committees and the respective area hierarchs, the work could begin in late summer 2021. The initial lessons learned would be reported to the 2021 October General Assembly with final assessment and recommendations for project extension to other areas the following year.
NEXT STEPS
Following favorable review of this proposal, the Committee hierarchs would need to contact their brother hierarchs in the Akron and Atlanta areas and secure their endorsement and support of these efforts. It will be essential that such written endorsement be able to be provided to all clergy and parishes in these two areas.
Contacts with the clergy brotherhoods’ presidents and secretaries would be facilitated by the Assembly Director of Operations. The Committees would endorse general - but not prescriptive - guidelines for the clergy brotherhoods. The work would be carried out by the respective clergy brotherhoods. Guidance and advice would be provided on an operational basis by the Director of Operations, Nicholas Anton, and the Secretariat liaisons to the Committees, Fr Thomas Zain and Protodeacon Peter Danilchick. However, the clear responsibility for progress would rest with the local clergy brotherhoods.
As the project progresses, other clergy brotherhoods (e.g., Cleveland) may be interested in participating. Assuming hierarchical and clergy endorsement, these may be considered for inclusion in this project.
2018 ASSEMBLY ENDORSEMENT
The 2018 Annual Meeting of the Assembly passed the following two motions, which respectively encouraged the work of local clergy brotherhoods and endorsed further exploration of inter-Orthodox parish associations.
“The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the USA is committed to encouraging spiritual unity, communication, and cooperation among the parishes of various jurisdictions situated in the same geographic areas. The work of local clergy brotherhoods is a critical part of this process of achieving greater unity. In particular, the Assembly encourages all parishes to engage in joint liturgical events, educational activities, and outreach ministries, with appropriate hierarchical blessings.”
“The Assembly approves and endorses further direct work of the Committee for Canonical Regional Planning with the parishes that belong to the Atlanta Orthodox Clergy Brotherhood and the Akron Clergy Association. These two groups were chosen due to their interest in these parish associations, workable size (10-20 parishes each), and either strong or growing inter-Orthodox participation. The goal of this work is to explore the possibility of creation in these cities of the first inter- Orthodox parish associations (consisting of clergy and lay representatives from each parish) which would efficiently facilitate and maintain inter-Orthodox parish- to-parish communication and cooperation.”
BACKGROUND
A 2016 Assembly-sponsored study focused on parish life and cooperation in two cities, San Antonio, Texas, and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Each of these two cities had five Orthodox parishes. The GOA, Antiochian, and ROCOR jurisdictions are represented in both cities, while OCA and Romanian are only in San Antonio and UOC only in Oklahoma City.
A number of the parishes in these two cities had different strengths and weaknesses (i.e., some strong, some who needed help) in the same areas of ministry, e.g., youth, work with inquirers and catechumens, use of technology, financial management. This means that parishes with strengths in certain areas could potentially help those who need improvement in those same areas. The study results showed where further cooperative efforts could effectively be undertaken. For significant collaboration and improvement, the parishes’ mutual efforts need to be organized. The study recommended the development of Local Parish Networks (later termed, “Associations”) in these two cities to formalize the communication and organize people from within these parishes to better help one another on a disciplined and effective basis.
A later (and wider) 2018 study focused specifically on the twenty-one cities/ regions which were identified as “places of greater Orthodox unity”, i.e., they had active Orthodox clergy brotherhoods and a relatively high level (compared to the other parts of the country) of inter-Orthodox parish-to-parish communication and cooperation. However, even in these “places of greater Orthodox unity,” the pan-Orthodox involvement of parishes was found to be fairly rudimentary. Most joint interjurisdictional liturgical events and non-liturgical activities were sporadic and irregular, their variety was limited, and parish-to-parish information exchange was poorly organized. Further, in general, only a subset of the parishes situated in the same area engaged in inter-Orthodox communication and cooperation, while other parish communities lead an insular life.
According to the study, the major impediments to better inter-Orthodox cooperation among the parishes in these twenty-one “places of greater Orthodox unity” were:
Lack of a formal organizational structure which could efficiently facilitate and maintain local inter-Orthodox cooperation. There was no established process for joint inter-parish planning, decision-making, and, most importantly, consistent implementation of decisions. As a result, inter-jurisdictional parish-to-parish cooperation and joint activities were largely spontaneous and sporadic.
Absence of a good system of information exchange among the parishes so that all parishes would always be aware of what is going on in each parish.
Lack of support for local inter-jurisdictional cooperation on the part of the Orthodox bishops, extending even to their disinterest in (or open discouragement of) interOrthodox involvement by their parishes.
There was strong support in most of the twenty-one “places of greater Orthodox unity” for the creation of an organizational structure (e.g., local inter-jurisdictional parish associations consisting of clergy and lay representatives from each parish) to efficiently facilitate and maintain inter-Orthodox parish-to-parish communication and cooperation. Both clergy and parish lay leaders believed firmly that creation of local interjurisdictional parish associations, which would energize inter-Orthodox cooperation and improve its organization, would be possible only with the public blessing and strong explicit support of the bishops.
PROPOSED MISSION AND GOALS OF PARISH ASSOCIATIONS
(as presented at Assembly IX Cleveland Ohio 2018)
To make the Orthodox Church presence more visible and to speak with “one strong voice,” thus representing all Orthodox faithful when interacting with the local community at large. To address jointly the common interests, needs and concerns of all Orthodox Church members residing in the same geographic area.
To build strong associations of local Orthodox church communities, in which the parishes of all jurisdictions support and help one another by sharing talents, and coordinating their ministries and programs
To create conditions and an environment that encourage communication and interaction among parishioners from all parishes, thus minimizing jurisdictional barriers among the parishes and developing a strong sense of one local Orthodox Christian Family
To make it clear…
The proposed inter-jurisdictional parish associations are not ecclesiastical or church administrative structures
All individual parishes within each association would remain under the full authority of their ruling diocesan hierarchs
Each parish would also remain fully independent in its internal governance, administration, finances, etc.
The inter-jurisdictional parish associations function simply as voluntary associations and coordinating bodies of the Orthodox parishes situated in the same geographic area.
Respectfully submitted,
Fr Thomas Zain, Secretariat Liaison to Committee for Clergy Matters
Protodeacon Peter Danilchick, Secretariat Liaison to Committee for Canonical Regional Planning
Nicholas Anton, Director of Operations
March 5, 2021 (updated August 27, 2021)
APPENDIX: CONTACT INFORMATION FOR BROTHERHOODS
(circa 2018; needs confirmation)
Akron Clergy Association (operates in cooperation with lay-driven Christian Orthodox Council of Akron)
Fr. Andrew Lentz, Annunciation Church (GOA), Akron, Ohio, alentz@annunciationakron.org, 330-434-9441
Christian Orthodox Council of Akron www.facebook.com/COCAkron
Orthodox Christian Women – Akron Area www.facebook.com/OrthodoxChristianWomenAkronArea
Atlanta Orthodox Clergy Brotherhood
Fr. Christos Mars, Greek Orthodox, Annunciation Cathedral (GOA), Atlanta, GA. frchristos@atlgoc.org, 404-633-5870
www.atlocb.org
www.facebook.com/Orthodoxclergy