Citizen Columns

Citizen Columns >> Answer (January 18th, 2008)

Question

Are the congregations in your faith becoming more and more female? Are men reluctant to attend services? Why do you think that is?

Answer

For some parts of the Orthodox Christian world that may be true. Churches in Russia, for example, are famous for the dominating presence of elderly women, the babushky, who keep strict oversight of order and piety. But on the whole I would say there is a good balance, perhaps even tending to the reverse. The Orthodox churches still have an all-male priesthood. And in some traditions (Greek and Middle Eastern to name two), the music is chanted almost exclusively by male choirs. In my own parish, as in most Orthodox parishes in North America, the choir is mixed, women read and have leadership roles (the current parish president is a woman). But on big feast days there are sometimes as many as 20 men and boys serving in the altar during the Divine Liturgy. So our issue is how to better integrate girls and women in the services. The fact remains that men have prominent roles in the Orthodox Churches at a time when in many other places they are losing ground. That may be one reason that men are attracted to these churches.

Orthodox Christianity has plenty of strong men and strong women, and gives expression to both sides of the human spirit. There is a demanding, ascetic, uncompromising dimension rooted in the martyrs and desert tradition of the early church. But equally one encounters deep sensitivity to beauty, silence and human warmth. Men and women are expected to lead a robust Christian life that often contrasts with sentimental spiritualities that can be a turn-off. Indeed, every Orthodox Christian is called to recognize that being a disciple of Christ commits us to spiritual battle. "…Take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand" (Ephesians 6:13). Military images are unpopular today, and may sound too male, but they stand at the heart of the Orthodox Christian way of life for both women and men.

Father John Jillions