There has been a surge in conversions to Orthodoxy among young people in the U.S

Metropolitan Savva (Esper), Primate of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America, in his report to the 14th Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America, stated that there has been a significant increase in the number of conversions to the Orthodox faith, especially among American youth. He said Orthodoxy in the country is being transformed from the faith of ethnic communities to a broad spiritual movement attracting people from diverse backgrounds seeking spiritual authenticity and historical continuity.

Speaking on November 7, 2025, Metropolitan Savva stressed that this phenomenon marks the transition from “the age of immigration to the age of evangelization.” According to the Antiochian Archdiocese’s website, among the key reasons for Americans to embrace Orthodoxy is the spiritual search of former Protestants who are tired of divisions and seek to find “the faith once delivered to the saints.” “Many find in Orthodox spirituality both responsibility and discipline in the midst of the disunity and decadence of the modern world,” the bishop noted.

The Bishop paid special attention to young people between the ages of 15 and 30. He cited the example of Antioch Cathedral in Brooklyn, where more than fifty young people are undergoing Baptism or have recently received Baptism. “Young people were looking for real spiritual life – and they found it in Orthodoxy,” the Metropolitan said. – They are tired of ideologies; they are looking for holiness, serious faith and love.”

At the same time, the rapid influx of new converts poses serious pastoral challenges for the Church. In some parishes, the number of those preparing for Baptism exceeds one hundred people, which creates a significant load on the clergy. “We need not only to rejoice in the new people, but also to think whether we are ready to receive and educate them,” Metropolitan Savva cautioned.

He concluded his report by calling the current moment a “great opportunity and responsibility” for the Orthodox Church in the United States. The Metropolitan urged the clergy and faithful to remember the commandment to preach the Gospel and to use the existing freedom so that “a genuine Orthodox witness may grow out of the American soil.”