Frederica has an essay in this month’s “Sacred History” in which she was asked to write about Orthodox church history in America. I think this is an excellent overview of the state of things right now with regard to ethnic churches and convert churches and the slow process of establishing an American Orthodox church.

Deep in the heart of a typical American city there is a magnificent old Orthodox church. The community housed here was founded about a hundred years ago, a gathering of families who had emigrated from Greece, Russia, Syria, or some other ethnically-Orthodox land. …
On the outskirts of town, in a strip shopping mall, there is an Orthodox mission. Three years ago this priest was a Protestant pastor. He was able to do most of his theological training by correspondence, while still working in his previous congregation, and spent just one year in residence at an Orthodox seminary. On the day of his chrismation (the service that makes a person a member of the Orthodox church), a couple of dozen members of that old congregation came with him. They are enthusiastic about this new faith, strongly committed to each other, and exhilarated by this adventure. They will talk to friends and neighbors about the excellence of Orthodoxy whether the others want to listen or not.

You can read the whole essay here.

And by the way, for another excellent perspective on the need for both cradle and convert elements in a church, check out this article called “House Blend” by Fr. Jon Braun:

In terms of the Orthodox Church and its establishment here in North America, I believe there is a growing need for what might be called the “Orthodox House Blend.” I am talking about a “house blend” in churches, if you will—a mixture that accommodates the many and varied backgrounds of people coming into Orthodox parishes.