Orthodox churches across the United States are welcoming a growing number of people with no Orthodox family background. Many of these new believers are young men, and their first encounter with Orthodox Christianity increasingly takes place not in church but on social media. However, an increase in converts at individual parishes does not necessarily mean that America’s Orthodox population is growing rapidly.
Orthodox Christianity in the United States has traditionally been associated primarily with immigrants from Serbia, Greece, Russia, Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, and the Middle East. Churches served not only as places of worship but also as community centers where immigrants preserved their language and customs and maintained ties with their countries of origin.
In recent years, however, Orthodox churches have attracted a growing number of Americans with no family or cultural connection to countries where Orthodox Christianity has traditionally been practiced. Some were raised in Protestant or Catholic families, while others had not previously belonged to any religious community. 
The change is particularly noticeable in certain parishes, where priests are seeing more people preparing for baptism. Nevertheless, it is difficult to determine precisely how widespread this trend is because there is no single Orthodox church organization in the United States that keeps comprehensive records of all new members.
From Social Media to Church
The internet has played an important role in generating interest in Orthodox Christianity. Videos of Orthodox services, sermons by Orthodox priests, discussions of religious questions and personal accounts from people who have converted are readily available on YouTube, TikTok and other platforms.
A survey presented at a 2023 gathering of the Orthodox Church in America – OCA included 773 people who had become Orthodox as adults. Nearly half of the respondents had converted since the beginning of the pandemic, and three-quarters of those recent converts were men. The average age of those who had converted in recent years was 31.
Nearly all respondents who had converted in the preceding few years said they had been significantly influenced by podcasts about Orthodox Christianity, websites and social media figures who discuss the faith online.
Although social media was not necessarily the deciding factor in their conversion, many first became acquainted with Orthodox Christianity through these platforms.
The pandemic also played a role. More than 45 percent of those who had converted since 2019 said that the pandemic had directly or indirectly influenced their search for a new religious community.
Why Is Orthodox Christianity Attracting Young Men?
Data from the Pew Research Center indicate that the gender composition of Orthodox Christians in the United States has changed. In its 2023–2024 survey, men accounted for 64 percent of Orthodox respondents, compared with 47 percent in 2007.
These figures should be interpreted with caution. Orthodox Christians make up approximately one percent of the U.S. population and are therefore represented by far fewer respondents in national surveys than Protestants or Catholics.
Nevertheless, both the available data and the experiences of priests in numerous parishes indicate that many of those converting to Orthodox Christianity are younger men.
People convert for different reasons. Surveys and personal accounts most often mention the liturgical tradition and its connection to early Christianity, clearly defined religious practices and a sense of belonging to a community. Some are drawn to fasting, prayer and regular participation in worship—in other words, to a faith that requires specific commitments from its members.
The term “Orthobros” is sometimes used online to describe young men interested in Orthodox Christianity. However, the term has no precise definition and often carries mocking or negative connotations. Online content also sometimes presents Orthodoxy exclusively as a faith based on strict rules and traditional ideas about the role of men, in opposition to modern culture. This portrayal does not necessarily reflect the teachings of the Orthodox Church or the lives of its members.
Representatives of Orthodox churches therefore emphasize that online content cannot replace attending church, taking part in parish life and speaking with a priest.
More People Are Converting, but the Overall Number of Orthodox Christians Is Not Growing
Although some parishes are seeing a noticeable influx of new members, there is still insufficient evidence to conclude that the Orthodox population is growing rapidly across the United States.
According to the Pew Research Center, Orthodox Christians make up approximately one percent of the U.S. population, roughly the same proportion recorded in earlier surveys. Estimates of their total number vary considerably depending on whether researchers count everyone who identifies as Orthodox, only those who belong to a parish or exclusively those who participate regularly in church life.
One analysis of 63 U.S. surveys conducted between 2018 and 2022, covering approximately 940,000 respondents in total, estimated that about 0.49 percent of Americans identify as Eastern Orthodox. However, the analysis did not find that the total number of Orthodox Christians in the United States had increased significantly by 2022. New members are joining, but at the same time some believers die and others leave the Orthodox Church. Claims of a “mass conversion of Americans to Orthodox Christianity” are therefore exaggerated.
Orthodox Christianity in the United States remains the faith of numerous immigrant communities, including the Serbian community. At the same time, it is increasingly becoming a personal choice for Americans with no family connection to that heritage. The extent to which this change will affect the total number of believers and the life of Orthodox parishes can be assessed more reliably only when new and more comprehensive data become available.
Sources: Pew, OCA, Orthodox History Photo: Milan Brašanac
