Serbian Orthodox Church

Structure

The head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, the patriarch, also serves as the head (metropolitan) of the Metropolitanate of Belgrade and Karlovci. The current patriarch, Porfirije, was inaugurated on 19 February 2021. Serbian Orthodox patriarchs use the style His Holiness the Archbishop of Peć, Metropolitan of Belgrade and Karlovci, Serbian Patriarch.

The highest body of the SOC is the Bishops' Council. It consists of the patriarch, the metropolitans, bishops, and vicars. It meets annually – between March and May. The Bishops' Council makes important decisions for the Church and elects the patriarch.

The executive body of the SOC is the Holy Synod. It has five members: four bishops and the patriarch. The Holy Synod takes care of the everyday operation of the Church, holding meetings on a regular basis.

Territorial organisation

The territory of the Serbian Orthodox Church is divided into:

• 1 patriarchal eparchy, headed by the Serbian Patriarch
• 4 eparchies that are honorary metropolitanates, headed by metropolitans
• 35 eparchies (dioceses), headed by bishops

Dioceses are further divided into episcopal deaneries, each consisting of several church congregations or parishes. Church congregations consist of one or more parishes. A parish is the smallest church unit – a communion of Orthodox faithful congregating at the Holy Eucharist with the parish priest at their head.

Source(s)

Source: Image from Wikimedia Commons by Unknown author. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Source: Intro adapted from the Wikipedia article "Serbian Orthodox Church". Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Source: Structure section text copied from the "Structure" section of the Wikipedia article "Serbian Orthodox Church". Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.