Index
back to Russian Orthodox, Moldova
| Group | Where | Number of Adherents |
% of total pop. |
Number of congreg./ churches/ units |
Number of countries |
Year | Source | Quote/ Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Russian Orthodox | New York: Buffalo | 2,550 | - | 1 unit |
- | 1926 | Finke, Roger & Rodney Stark. The Churching of America, 1776-1990. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press (1992; 3rd printing 1997). [Orig. source: 1926 U.S. govt. census from Bureau of the Census, 1930, vol. 1]; pg. 8. | "Table 31. Number of churches, membership [incl. children]... 1926 "; Reports prepared by pastors/boards of elders. Listed in table as Russian Orthodox Church. |
| Russian Orthodox | New Zealand | 333 | 0.01% | - | - | 1996 | *LINK* web site: "VisionNet Census " (created by a Protestant group); web page: Orthodox Christian groups (viewed 9 Jan. 1999); original source: Statistics New Zealand | Data taken from New Zealand national censuses, based on self-identification, down to denominational level. Total 1996 NZ population: 3,616,633. |
| Russian Orthodox | Russia | - | - | 100,000 units |
- | 1920 | *LINK* Collins, Lois M. "Orthodox rebirth 'a miracle' " in deseret News, 25 Sept. 1999 (viewed online 25 Sept. 1999). | "When the communist and totalitarian regimes in Russia set out to destroy the Russian Orthodox Church and other faiths, it didn't want to just discredit them. Under government direction, icons were stripped off altars and walls. Buildings were razed. By 1927, 90 percent of the Russian Orthodox churches had been reduced to rubble as part of one government's 'attempt to form a new kind of person ?one without God. We're all quite familiar with those very sad pages of history.'... before the revolution there had been about 100,000 Russian Orthodox churches in Russia, by World War II there were fewer than 1,000. " |
| Russian Orthodox | Russia | - | - | 10,000 units |
- | 1940 | *LINK* Collins, Lois M. "Orthodox rebirth 'a miracle' " in deseret News, 25 Sept. 1999 (viewed online 25 Sept. 1999). | "...before the revolution there had been about 100,000 Russian Orthodox churches in Russia, by World War II there were fewer than 1,000. " |
| Russian Orthodox | Russia | - | - | 56,000 units |
- | 1944 | Time-Life Books. The Soviet Union (series: Library of Nations). Amsterdam: Time-Life Books (1984); pg. 106. | "After more than half a century under an avowedly atheist government, the Russian landscape's most striking man-made features remain the onion domes of its Orthodox churches. More than 7,000 churches perform rites for crowds of worshippers much as they have over 10 centuries--although before the Revolution, Russia had eight times as many churches to serve half as many people. " |
| Russian Orthodox | Russia | - | - | 5,000 units |
- | 1992 | Geography Department (Mary M. Rodgers, series editor). Russia (series: Then and Now). Minneapolis, Minn.: Lerner Publications Co. (1992); pg. 25-26. | "Most Russians are members of the Russian Orthodox Church... Under Communist rule, the church received no state support, and many Orthodox places of worship were closed. In the late 1980s, however, the Soviet government eased restrictions on religious worship, and many Russian churches reopened. More than 5,000 Orthodox churches now hold services throughout Russia. " |
| Russian Orthodox | Russia | 60,000,000 | - | 6,000 units |
- | 1995 | Kort, Michael. Russia (series: Nations in Transition). New York: Facts on File, Inc. (1995); pg. 132. | "As it has for 1,000 years, Russian Orthodoxy remains the leading religion in Russia. It has over 60 million believers and over 6,000 newly reopened churches and monasteries. " |
| Russian Orthodox | Russia | 23,000,000 | 15.65% | - | - | 1998 | "Restrictions on Religion Get Uneven Enforcement " in Christianity Today (Apr. 6, 1998); pg. 20. | "According to World Churches Handbook there are 23 million Russian Orthodox believers among Russia's 147 million people... 3.3 million practicing Christians, including Orthodox, Catholics and Protestants. " |
| Russian Orthodox | Russia - Maris | 446,819 | 66.00% | - | - | 1989 | Gall, Timothy L. (ed). Worldmark Encyclopedia of Culture & Daily Life: Vol. 4 - Europe. Cleveland, OH: Eastword Publications Development (1998); pg. 247-249. | "Location: Russia (Middle Volga River region); Population: 670,900 (1989) "; "...most Maris were converted to Eastern Orthodoxy during the 1st half of the 18th cen., & today roughly two-thirds of religious Maris are Orthodox Christians. Christianity took especially deep roots among the Hill Mari, who were all Christians by the beginning of the 19th century. Similarly, the vast majority of Lowland Mari were also Christian by the beginning of the 19th century, although many communities both formally & informally retained their native religion, which they termed chi marla vera (the genuine Mari faith), as oposed to the rushla vera (Russian faith) of the Christianized Maris. Finally, the vast majority of Eastern Maris, both in Bashkortostan & the Urals region, have remained staunch adherents of the chi marla vera. " |
| Russian Orthodox | South Africa: Johannesburg | - | - | 1 unit |
- | 1981 | Gibbs, Richard. Living in Johannesburg (series: "Living in Famous Cities "). East Sussex, England: Wayland Publishers (1981); pg. 39. | "Johannesburg is a city rich in religion... There are a number of Jewish synagogues, a sprinkling of Greek Orthodox churches and even a small Russian Orthodox church. " |
| Russian Orthodox | Soviet Union | - | - | 7,000 units |
- | 1984 | Time-Life Books. The Soviet Union (series: Library of Nations). Amsterdam: Time-Life Books (1984); pg. 106. | "After more than half a century under an avowedly atheist government, the Russian landscape's most striking man-made features remain the onion domes of its Orthodox churches. More than 7,000 churches perform rites for crowds of worshippers much as they have over 10 centuries--although before the Revolution, Russia had eight times as many churches to serve half as many people. " |
| Russian Orthodox | Soviet Union | 51,609,060 | 18.00% | - | - | 1989 | *LINK* Library of Congress Country Studies | Christianity:Orthodox:Russian Orthodox: Est. 286,717,000 [Total pop.] (1989). Reliable statistics unavailable, but about 18% Russian Orthodox; 17% Muslim; and nearly 7% Roman Catholic, Protestant, Armenian Orthodox, Georgian Orthodox, & Jewish combined. Officially, most of remainder atheist. |
| Russian Orthodox | Soviet Union | 58,609,516 | 20.00% | - | - | 1991 | Twining, David T. The New Eurasia: A Guide to the Republics of the Former Soviet Union. Westport, CT: Praeger (1993); pg. 1-2. | "Until December 25, 1991, the Soviet Union was the largest country in the world. Population: 293,047,571... Religion: Russian Orthodox: 20%; Muslim: 10%; Others: 3% " |
| Russian Orthodox | Soviet Union | - | 22.00% | - | - | 1992 | Wolff, Michael. Where We Stand: Can America Make it in the Global Race for Wealth, Health, and Happiness? Bantam Books: New York (1992); pg. 206-207. | Chart |
| Russian Orthodox | Tatarstan | - | 50.00% | 158 units |
- | 1997 | *LINK* web site: "The Republic of Tatarstan " (viewed 8 Jan 1999); web page: "Religion "; "Copyright 1998 Department of Foreign Relations for President of the Republic of Tatarstan " | "The Orthodox Christianity... is shared by the other half of the population - the Russians, the Chuvashes, the Mari, the Udmurts, the Mordvinians, and a small part of the Tatars. In early 1997, 158 orthodox communities under the supervision of Kazan Eparchy of Moscow Patriarchate... have been functioning in [Tatarstan]. " |
| Russian Orthodox | Turkmenistan | 500,000 | - | - | - | 1996 | 1997 Britannica Book of the Year; pg. 781-783. | Table: "Religion ": Divided by nations, with 2 columns: "Religious affiliation " & "1996 pop. " [of that religion]. Based on best avail. figures, whether census data, membership figures or estimates by analysts, as % of est. 1996 midyear pop. |
| Russian Orthodox | USA | 465,000 | - | 343 units |
- | 1916 | Spence, Hartzell. The Story of America's Religions; New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston (1960) [1st printing 1957]; pg. 119. | "By 1916, the Russians alone had about 343 parishes and 465,000 adherents from New England across Ohio and Illinois to California and Alaska. " |
| Russian Orthodox | USA | 100,000 | - | - | - | 1936 | Ahlstrom, Sydney E. A Religious History of the American People; Yale University Press: New Haven & London (1973); pg. 986. | In 1944 Greek archbishop of NY claimed 5 mil. Orthodox in U.S., but this is little more than a totaling of nominally Orthodox ethnic groups. According to 1936 federal census, there were only 100,000 effective Russian members & 189,000 Greek members... |
| Russian Orthodox | USA | 810,000 | - | - | - | 1957 | Spence, Hartzell. The Story of America's Religions; New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston (1960) [1st printing 1957]; pg. 117. | "Orthodoxy in America today is divided into 23 dif. groups... There are 3 Russian constituencies totalling more than 810,000 worshipers, of whom 755,000 are in the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church of America. " |
| Russian Orthodox | USA | 2,400,000 | - | 1,385 units |
- | 1957 | Welles, Sam. The World's Great Religions, New York: Time Incorporated (1957); pg. 246. | "The Orthodox in the U.S., who total some 2.4 million, with 1,700 ordained priests and 1,385 parishes... " |
| Russian Orthodox | USA | 800,000 | - | - | - | 1963 | Rosten, Leo (ed.). Religions in America; New York: Simon & Schuster (1963), 8th ed. [1st pub. in 1952. 8th ed. completely revised]; pg. 94. | "There are three leading Russian branches, totaling over 800,000. (By far the largest of these is the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church of America, which was independently established here after the Russian Revolution, w/ about 750,000 worshipers.) " |
| Russian Orthodox | USA | 700,000 | - | 336 units |
- | 1970 | Ahlstrom, Sydney E. A Religious History of the American People; Yale University Press: New Haven & London (1973); pg. 992. | "'Guide to Orthodox America'... lists 336 parishes in the Russian Orthodox church, 32 in the Patriarchal Exarchate... reported membership in 1970... was, respectfully... 700,000, 160,000... " |
| Russian Orthodox | USA | 1,000,000 | - | - | - | 1981 | Crim, Keith (ed.). The Perennial Dictionary of World Religions. San Francisco: Harper Collins (1989). Reprint; originally pub. as Abingdon Dictionary of Living Religions, 1981; pg. 633. | "There are about one million Russian Orthodox in America, in separate jurisdictions. " |
| Russian Orthodox | Uzbekistan | 2,090,000 | - | - | - | 1996 | 1997 Britannica Book of the Year; pg. 781-783. | Table; Muslim is "mostly Sunni " |
| Russian Orthodox | world | 50,000,000 | - | 20,000 units |
- | 1957 | Welles, Sam. The World's Great Religions, New York: Time Incorporated (1957); pg. 246. | "The Russian Orthodox Church claims 50 million adherents, served by 35,000 priests in 20,000 parishes. " |
| Russian Orthodox | world | 40,000,000 | - | - | - | 1961 | Hutchinson, John A. Paths of Faith; New York: McGraw-Hill (1969); pg. 440. | "In 1961 the Russian Orthodox Church joined the World Council of Churches, reporting that it had 30,000 priests, 73 bishops, and 40 million adherents. " |
| Russian Orthodox | world | 50,000,000 | - | - | - | 1973 | Zehavi, A.M. (editor) Handbook of the World's Religions. New York: Franklin Watts (1973); pg. 14. | "The Orthodox Church embraces the four ancient patriarchates of Constantinople (100,000), Alexandria (200,000), Antioch (300,000), and Jerusalem (35,000); the churches of the Soviet Union (50,000,000)... " |
| Russian Orthodox | world | 88,000,000 | - | - | - | 1984 | Walls, Andrew. "Christianity " in Hinnells, John R. (ed). A Handbook of Living Religions, Penguin Books: New York (1991) [reprint; 1st published in 1984]; pg. 99. | "Figure 2.6: Eastern Christianity today: the Orthodox Church " [autocephalous churches in communion with Constantinople] |
| Russian Orthodox | world | 50,000,000 | - | - | - | 1985 | Roussou, Maria. I Am a Greek Orthodox. London: Franklin Watts (1985); pg. 30. | "The different branches of the Orthodox Church in the world are thought to have a total membership of 150 million members. The Russian orthodox Church is estimated to have 40-50 million. " |
| Russian Orthodox | world | 50,000,000 | - | - | - | 1996 | *LINK* Doogue, Edmund (Ecumenical News International). "German Churches Contribute Much More to WCC than Others " in Presbyterian News Service, 27 Sept. 1996 (viewed online 11 March 1999). | "Those of the WCC's biggest member churches that in 1995 did not pay their membership contribution, or paid only a fraction of what they were supposed to, include the Russian Orthodox Church (50 million members)... " |
| Russian Orthodox | world | 88,000,000 | - | - | - | 1998 | *LINK* OPPOSING VIEW (anti-) web page: "Orthodox " (viewed 26 Feb. 1999) | "Autocephalus Churches: Russia (88 mill.)... The 'Russian Church', with 88 million members, is the largest, so the Patriarch of Moscow became the 'fifth Patriarchate', and with the 'Russian diaspora', has spread the Orthodox to America and Western Europe. " |
| Russian Orthodox | world | 80,000,000 | - | - | - | 1998 | *LINK* web site: "Russian Phototrack/All Regions of Russia by Picture " (viewed 8 Jan. 1999); web page: "Russian Orthodox Church: Early History and Art "; "(text in part by) Arthur Voyce, The Art and Architecture of Medieval Russia, & others... 1995 Encyclopaedia Britannica. | "Russian Orthodox church is largest autocephalous, or ecclesiastically independent, Eastern Orthodox church in the world. Its membership is estimated at between 40 and 80 million. " |
| Russian Orthodox | world | 90,000,000 | - | - | - | 1999 | *LINK* Zuck, Jon. "Unofficial Home Page of The One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church " (last updated 21 Mar. 1999). | "Eastern Orthodox Church... Constituent churches:... Autocephalic Churches:... Church of Russia c. 90,000,000 members (largest Orthodox constituency) " |
| Russian Orthodox | world - except Russia | 3,000,000 | - | - | - | 1973 | Zehavi, A.M. (editor) Handbook of the World's Religions. New York: Franklin Watts (1973); pg. 28. | "There are no reliable statistics of church membership in Russia, but there are about 3,000,000 members of the Russian Church outside Russia. " |
| Russian Orthodox - believers | Soviet Union | 40,000,000 | - | - | - | 1977 | Gascoigne, Bamber. The Christians; New York: William Morrow & Co. (1977); pg. 289. | "The majority of Christians in the Soviet Union are Russian Orthodox... Over the years many Orthodox churches have been closed, but those that are open are frequently full... Even the Soviet authorities admit that forty million people are still believers. " |
| Russian Orthodox - believers | Soviet Union | 84,000,000 | 30.00% | - | - | 1990 | Naisbitt, John & Patricia Aburdene. Megatrends 2000: Ten New Directions for the 1990's. New York: William Morrow and Co. (1990); pg. 287. | "At least 30 percent of the USSR's 280 million people are believers, estimates Sovietologist Paul Lucey. " |
| Russian Orthodox Church in the U.S.A., Patriarchal Parishes of the | North America | 9,780 | - | 38 units |
2 countries |
1985 | Melton, J. Gordon (ed.). The Encyclopedia of American Religions: Vol. 1. Tarrytown, NY: Triumph Books (1991); pg. 132-133. | "Russian Orthodox Church in the U.S.A., Patriarchal Parishes of the... in the United States and Canada... Membership: In 1985, the church reported 9,780 members in 38 parishes served by 45 priests. " |
| Russian Orthodox Church in the U.S.A., Patriarchal Parishes of the | North America | 51,500 | - | 51 units |
- | 1990 | Mead, Frank S. (revised by Samuel S. Hill), Handbook of Denominations in the United States (9th Ed.), Abingdon Press: Nashville, Tenn. (1990); pg. 186. | "The third body [of Russian Orthodox churches in America] is the Patriarchal Parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in the U.S.A. It accepts the full authority of the Moscow Patriarchate and is its representative in America... There are 51,500 members in 51 churches. " |
| Russian Orthodox Church in the U.S.A., Patriarchal Parishes of the | USA | 50,000 | - | 41 units |
- | 1978 | Melton, J. Gordon. The Encyclopedia of American Religions, vol. 1. McGrath Publishing Co.: Wilmington, NC (1978); pg. 62. | - |
| Russian Orthodox Church in the U.S.A., Patriarchal Parishes of the | USA | 9,780 | - | 38 units |
- | 1985 | Bedell, Kenneth (ed.). Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches 1993. Abingdon Press: Nashville, Tenn (1993); pg. 248-255. | Table 2: US Current Stats. (# of adherents from "inclusive membership " column, not sometimes smaller "full communicant " col.) Listed in table as "Russian Orthodox Church in the U.S.A., Patriarchal Parishes of the " |
| Russian Orthodox Church in the U.S.A., Patriarchal Parishes of the | USA | 9,780 | - | 38 units |
- | 1996 | World Almanac and Book of Facts 1998; K-III Reference Corp.: Macwah, NJ (1997). [Orig. sources: 1997 Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches; World Almanac research]; pg. 651. | Table: "Membership of Religious Groups in U.S. "; Membership figs. generally based on reports from officials by each group. Figs. are inclusive: refer to all "members, " not simply full communicants. |
| Russian Orthodox Church in the U.S.A., Patriarchal Parishes of the | world | 9,780 | - | 38 units |
2 countries |
1985 | Melton, J. Gordon (ed.). The Encyclopedia of American Religions: Vol. 1. Tarrytown, NY: Triumph Books (1991); pg. 132-133. | "Russian Orthodox Church in the U.S.A., Patriarchal Parishes of the... in the United States and Canada... Membership: In 1985, the church reported 9,780 members in 38 parishes served by 45 priests. " |
| Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia | Africa | - | - | 2 units |
- | 1998 | *LINK* official web site (1998) | Counted listings in directory of parishes. [Uganda: 1; Morocco: 1] |
| Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia | Alabama | - | - | 1 unit |
- | 1998 | *LINK* official web site (1998) | Counted listings in directory of parishes. |
| Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia | Alberta | - | - | 8 units |
- | 1998 | *LINK* official web site (1998) | Counted listings in directory of parishes. |
| Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia | Argentina | - | - | 15 units |
- | 1998 | *LINK* official web site (1998) | Counted listings in directory of parishes. |
| Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia | Arizona | - | - | 2 units |
- | 1998 | *LINK* official web site (1998) | Counted listings in directory of parishes. |
| Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia | Arkansas | - | - | 1 unit |
- | 1998 | *LINK* official web site (1998) | Counted listings in directory of parishes. |
| Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia | Australia | - | - | 24 units |
- | 1998 | *LINK* official web site (1998) | Counted listings in directory of parishes. [2 in Aust. Capital Territory; 12 in New South Wales; 3 in Queensland; 1 in South Australia; 2 in Tasmania; 3 in Victoria; 1 in West Australia] |
| Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia | Australia: Australian Capital Territory | - | - | 2 units |
- | 1998 | *LINK* official web site (1998) | Counted listings in directory of parishes. |
| Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia | Australia: New South Wales | - | - | 12 units |
- | 1998 | *LINK* official web site (1998) | Counted listings in directory of parishes. |
| Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia | Australia: Queensland | - | - | 3 units |
- | 1998 | *LINK* official web site (1998) | Counted listings in directory of parishes. |
| Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia | Australia: South Australia | - | - | 1 unit |
- | 1998 | *LINK* official web site (1998) | Counted listings in directory of parishes. "WAYVILLE (ADELAIDE) " |
| Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia | Australia: Tasmania | - | - | 2 units |
- | 1998 | *LINK* official web site (1998) | Counted listings in directory of parishes. |
| Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia | Australia: Victoria | - | - | 3 units |
- | 1998 | *LINK* official web site (1998) | Counted listings in directory of parishes. |
| Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia | Australia: Western Australia | - | - | 1 unit |
- | 1998 | *LINK* official web site (1998) | Counted listings in directory of parishes. "BAYSWATER, PERTH " |
| Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia | Austria | - | - | 5 units |
- | 1998 | *LINK* official web site (1998) | Counted listings in directory of parishes. |
| Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia | Belgium | - | - | 2 units |
- | 1998 | *LINK* official web site (1998) | Counted listings in directory of parishes. |
| Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia | Brazil | - | - | 8 units |
- | 1998 | *LINK* official web site (1998) | Counted listings in directory of parishes. |
| Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia | British Columbia | - | - | 4 units |
- | 1998 | *LINK* official web site (1998) | Counted listings in directory of parishes. |
| Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia | California | - | - | 27 units |
- | 1998 | *LINK* official web site (1998) | Counted listings in directory of parishes. |
| Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia | Canada | - | - | 25 units |
- | 1988 | Melton, J. Gordon (ed.). The Encyclopedia of American Religions: Vol. 1. Tarrytown, NY: Triumph Books (1991); pg. 133. | "Membership: In 1988 the Church reported 135 parishes in the U.S., 25 parishes in Canada, and 37 parishes in South America. " |
| Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia | Canada | - | - | 27 units |
- | 1998 | *LINK* official web site (1998) | Counted listings in directory of parishes. [5 in Quebec; 9 in Ontario; 1 in Manitoba; 4 in British Columbia; 8 in Alberta] |
| Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia | Chile | - | - | 2 units |
- | 1998 | *LINK* official web site (1998) | Counted listings in directory of parishes. |
| Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia | Colorado | - | - | 1 unit |
- | 1998 | *LINK* official web site (1998) | Counted listings in directory of parishes. |
Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, continued 