OCA Report: The Church will not face an acute shortage of clergy if vocations are supported

The Chancery of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) has published a detailed report on the state of the clergy, analyzing age data, the number of seminarians, and parish dynamics. According to the findings, if current efforts to support vocations are maintained and strengthened, the PCA will not face an acute shortage of clergy in the near future, despite the aging of a significant portion of the clergy.

According to the official report, of the 502 active parish rectors, 124 priests (25%) have reached or surpassed the traditional retirement age of 65. Another 107 priests (21%) will reach that age within the next 10 years. At the same time, the number of priests under the age of 44 is 102 (20%), emphasizing the importance of training a new generation of pastors.

The report notes that the overall picture is more optimistic than it may seem at first glance. There are a total of 907 priests in the OCA. In addition to the 502 rectors, another 207 clerics serve as second priests, chaplains, or are assigned to parishes, working outside of them. Many of them may become rectors in the future. In addition, there are 301 active deacons serving in the Church, some of whom may eventually enter the sacred ministry.

Although 118 of the OCA’s 683 parishes are currently without a rector, the Church has seen steady growth. In the past five years, 38 new parishes have opened and only 18 have closed, resulting in a net increase of 20 congregations. This fact, according to the report’s authors, is evidence of «overall growth and readiness for development. «

A key factor for the future is the training of new personnel. St. Vladimir’s and St. Tikhon’s seminaries currently have 55 PCA students in the Master of Divinity (M.Div.) program, projecting about 18 ordinations per year. Additional candidates are being prepared at St. Herman’s Seminary in Alaska and at a pastoral college in Mexico. Priest transfers from other jurisdictions are also a minor but steady source of clergy replenishment.

In conclusion, the report emphasizes that the OCA is well positioned to meet its current and future clergy needs. However, this requires constant and increasing effort. «In order to sustain liturgical and pastoral life in the face of constant expansion …. our efforts to attract vocations, support seminaries, and assist clergy families must be maintained and increased,» the document states. This is especially relevant in the post-Kovid period, when many congregations are experiencing a significant influx of new parishioners.

We will remind, earlier representatives of young Republicans in the United States expressed serious concern about the actions of the Ukrainian authorities with regard to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The co-chair of the Federation of Young Republicans in the United States, Catherine Whiteford, and the New York Young Republicans Club called for attention to the situation, emphasizing the importance of protecting religious freedom.