THE HIERARCHICAL NATURE OF THE CHURCH

Who is the Head of the Church?

I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power in us who believe, according to the working of his great might which he accomplished in Christ when he raised him from the dead and made him sit at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come; and he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fulness of him who fills all in all. (Ephesians 1:16-23)

St. Paul teaches us clearly that the Church is the Body of Christ. When Jesus ascended to heaven on the fortieth day after His resurrection, He promised that He would not leave us alone. He left us His Body ­ the Church. But a body without a head is a lifeless corpse. Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church.

Jesus Christ remains present to this day in the life of the Church. How? Through the sacramental priesthood, particularly the bishop. The ordained priesthood is the sacramental presence of Jesus Christ, here and now, in the Church, in each and every parish, which makes present in a local place the Kingdom of God. The "sacrament" in the priesthood is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, who "fills that which is lacking" and enables fallen, sinful men to make present the Lord Jesus Christ.

The bishop is the sacramental head of the Church. Nothing may be done in the life of the Church without his knowledge and blessing. The parish rector is blessed by the bishop to direct the day-to-day life of the parish since the bishop cannot be present at all times. The bishop's signature on the antimension placed on the altar connects the pastor and the parish to the bishop's cathedral altar. The Rector is the sacramental presence of Christ and the administrative presence of the bishop. His blessing is necessary for any action in the life of the parish, particularly liturgical actions and functions.

The Hierarchical Structure

Every level of Church life in the Orthodox Church in America reflects the same structure and reality:

Central Church Life: This is life of the whole Orthodox Church in America. Presiding over the life of the OCA is the Primate of the Church. The Metropolitan is not an "employee" of the Church ­ he cannot be hired or fired by a vote of the Church. He is elected by ballot at an All-American Council (2/3 approval) or by the Holy Synod (if no one gets 2/3, the top two candidates in a second ballot are then elected for the Synod to choose from). The Holy Synod canonically elects the Metropolitan. He is compensated by the Church to free him to work full-time on the building up of the Body of Christ. He presides not only over the whole Church, but over the Holy Synod of Bishops, which is "the supreme canonical authority in the Church" (Statute of the OCA, II, 1), composed of each of the diocesan bishops of the Church. Nothing in the life of the OCA is done without the blessing of the bishops.

All-American Council (AAC): This is the "general assembly" of the Church, the "highest legislative and administrative authority within the Church" (Statute, III, 1), with a clergy and lay delegate from each parish gathering to determine the life and direction of the Church. Nothing, however, that the AAC decides becomes effective until ratified by the Holy Synod of Bishops. If the Synod disapproves any decision, the decision becomes invalid.

Metropolitan Council: This body is the "permanent executive body of the Church Administration which exists for the purpose of implementing the decisions of the All-American Council and continuing its work between sessions." (Statute, V, 1) Delegates are elected at large from the All-American Council and each diocese elects a clergy and lay delegate. Nothing, however, that the Metropolitan Council decides becomes effective until ratified by the Metropolitan, or the Holy Synod of Bishops, depending upon the nature of the decision.

Diocesan Church Life: This is life of the whole Diocese. Presiding over the life of the diocese is the Diocesan Bishop. The Bishop is not an "employee" of the diocese ­ he cannot be hired or fired by a vote of the diocese. He is nominated by ballot at a Diocesan Assembly and the name sent to the Holy Synod of Bishops for canonical election. He is compensated by the diocese to free him to work full-time on the building up of the Body of Christ. He presides over the life of the whole diocese. He appoints the rector of each diocesan parish. Nothing in the life of the diocese is done without the blessing of the bishop.

Diocesan Assembly: This is the "general assembly" of the diocese, the highest legislative and administrative authority within the diocese, with a clergy and lay delegate from each parish gathering to determine the life and direction of the diocese. Nothing, however, that the Diocesan Assembly decides becomes effective until ratified by the Diocesan Bishop. If the Bishop disapproves any decision, the decision becomes invalid.

Diocesan Council: This body is the permanent executive body of the diocese which exists for the purpose of implementing the decisions of the Diocesan Assembly and continuing its work between sessions. Clergy and lay delegates are elected at large from the Diocesan Assembly. Nothing, however, that the Diocesan Council decides becomes effective until ratified by the Diocesan Bishop.

Parish Church Life: This is the life of the whole parish. The Diocesan Bishop cannot be present at all times in a parish, so presiding over the entire life of the parish is the Rector. "At the head of the parish is its Rector...He is appointed by the Diocesan Bishop and cannot leave his parish without the permission of the Bishop. No activities in the parish can be initiated without his knowledge, approval, and blessing..." (Statute, X, 4). The Rector is not an "employee" of the parish ­ he cannot be hired or fired by a vote of the parish. He is compensated by the parish to free him to work full-time on the building up of the Body of Christ. He presides over the life of the whole parish. Nothing in the life of the parish is done without the blessing of the Rector. But the Rector serves at the pleasure of the Diocesan Bishop and receives the Bishop's blessing for everything.

Parish Assembly: This is the "general assembly" of the parish, the highest legislative and administrative authority within the parish, with voting members of the parish gathering to determine the life and direction of the parish. Nothing, however, that the Parish Assembly decides becomes effective until ratified by the Diocesan Bishop. If the Bishop disapproves any decision, the decision becomes invalid.

Parish Council: "The parish meeting shall elect a Parish Council to assist the Rector in the administration of the parish and to execute the decisions of the parish meeting." (Statute X, 8) No one may serve on the Parish Council until the election is ratified by the Diocesan Bishop. Nothing, however, that the Parish Council decides becomes effective until ratified by the Rector. If the Rector disapproves any decision, the decision becomes invalid.

The Heresy of Congregationalism

The opposite of Orthodox, hierarchical Church life is congregationalism ­ the belief that the Church is a "democracy," with the ultimate authority residing in the members of a Church, Diocese, or Parish (a "congregation," no matter the size). God appointed apostles to conduct the life of the Church ­ those apostles today are called bishops. The Orthodox response to congregationalism is conciliarity: the coming together of the whole Body of Christ to debate and discern the will of God inspired by His Holy Spirit. But the ultimate authority for that discernment resides in the bishop(s) (and, hence, in a parish, the Rector). There are many things which simply do not belong in the realm of "discussion" and "voting." Foremost among those things are the liturgical, sacramental and educational life of the parish.

In the liturgical life, if the Rector refuses to bless anyone, they cannot serve or sing. In the sacramental life, he may ask someone to refrain from Holy Communion for a period of time. In the educational life, he may correct the thoughts and beliefs of someone.

A refusal to bless something may be for pastoral reasons, it may be for disciplinary reasons, it may be for spiritual reasons. Nonetheless, the blessing of the Rector is not up for discussion, dissection or vote. The blessing is his alone to bestow. Being a "voting member" of the parish, or a "donating member" of the parish does not usurp the authority of the Rector ­ his authority is derived from his appointment by the Bishop and that authority can be removed, but only by the Bishop.

Of course, with authority comes responsibility. Everyone will answer to God for the care and stewardship they exercise over the Body of Christ. And the first to answer will be the Bishop, followed by the Rector, and then the faithful of the Church. May God grant the discernment of His Holy Spirit to all members of the Church!