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The findings of a sweeping national survey of clergy and ministry leaders took center stage on July 1 during the 48th Biennial Clergy-Laity Congress in Cleveland, Ohio, as delegates gathered for a Congress Conversations session presenting the results of the 2026 National Survey of Clergy and Ministry Leaders.
The survey, administered by CARA (Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate) from Georgetown University, was presented by Dr. Jonathon Wiggins and Theo Nicolakis, Director of National Ministries and Chief Information Officer of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Its findings drew on responses from clergy, parish council presidents, and ministry leaders across the Archdiocese, surfacing data on parish growth as well as the leadership supports, coordination challenges, and ministry priorities for which those on the ground are asking.
The results were described as both encouraging and urgent. Parish growth was a bright spot in the data, but it is accompanied by significant strain on parish leadership, volunteers, and ministry structures. The session also highlighted that while the Church’s resources are substantial, they are often fragmented and difficult to navigate at the parish level, limiting their effectiveness where they are needed most.
Archbishop Elpidophoros opened the session in prayer. Nicolakis then addressed the background, vision, and process behind the survey, explaining why it was undertaken and how it aligns with the mission of National Ministries. He described the effort as an attempt to listen directly to clergy, parish council presidents, and ministry leaders, moving from anecdote to structured insight, and posed the session’s framing question: what are parishes experiencing, and how must the Archdiocese respond?
Nicolakis introduced Wiggins and CARA, emphasizing the institute’s independence, rigor, and credibility. Wiggins gave an overview of CARA and its methodology, describing focus groups conducted across stakeholders, representation across the Metropolises, and participation from clergy and ministry leaders, with the survey administered independently and anonymously.
Nicolakis and Wiggins then reviewed the survey’s key findings and conclusions, covering parish growth and vitality, strain on leadership and ministry structures, fragmentation of resources, emerging priorities and characteristics of thriving parishes, key impact areas, and their relationship to budget alignment.
A response panel of clergy and lay leaders, facilitated by Nicolakis, then reacted to the survey data from their parish perspectives, interpreting the data through lived experience and addressing discrepancies between data and anecdotal experience.
The floor then opened for questions, moderated by Nicolakis, and Archbishop Elpidophoros closed the session in prayer.
Delegates left the session with a clearer picture of what ministry leaders across the country need—and practical direction on where to focus, what to prioritize, and how to translate the survey’s findings into concrete steps toward building stronger, thriving, Christ-centered parishes.
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