On December 1, 2025, there was an intellectual event of great importance to Orthodox theology—the online presentation of the monumental volume, The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Conciliarity in Modern Orthodox Christianity. As the title suggests, the book’s central theme is the Orthodox phenomenon of conciliarity: its genesis and further evolution, its theological significance, and its practical application in the life of Orthodox communities. This collection is of exceptional importance, as it fills a long-standing gap in English-language Orthodox ecclesiology.
The book was edited by three researchers from the University of Tartu: Dr. Irina Paert, doctoral student Andrey Shishkov, and Dr. Alison R. Kolosova.
The book contains 45 articles divided into three general sections:
- I. “The Orthodox Conciliar Tradition.” This section contains only three introductory articles concerning the conciliar dimension of the life of the ancient Church, monastic communities, and choral singing. Much more attention is paid to a comprehensive analysis of the turning points in the modern history of the Church, such as the reforms of Peter I, the Council of the Orthodox Church in Russia in 1917–1918, and the recent Holy and Great Council of Crete in 2016.
- II. “The Theological Vision.” In this section of the book, the authors explore the connection between the concept of conciliarity and the Slavophile thinkers of the 19th century, the theology of Fr. Sergiy Bulgakov, Fr. Nicholas Afanasiev, Fr. Dumitru Stăniloae, Metropolitan John Zizioulas, as well as the current environmental agenda, missionary issues, the realm of politics, and the eschatological dimension.
- III. “Local Conciliarities.” Here, interested readers will find articles on the implementation of the principle of conciliarity in Orthodox communities in North America, Western Europe, Romania, African countries, and, importantly, in the Ukrainian Orthodox tradition. This section also contains the authors’ reflections on conciliarity in the digital world, in the context of ecumenical movements, and in the youth Orthodox communities.
The concept of conciliarity was outlined in Orthodoxy only in the second half of the 19th century. Therefore, the authors were particularly sensitive to the radical change in the geopolitical context of Orthodox thought over the past 150 years, from imperial reality to nation-states. Factors such as the collapse of four empires as a result of World War I, the spread of Orthodoxy to other continents, and centrifugal migration posed new pressing questions for the Church. The key issue was how national churches should relate to secular governments and the authority of the Ecumenical Patriarch.
In his presentation, Andrey Shishkov drew attention to the connection between the concept of conciliarity and German idealism, along with the paradigm of Romanticism. He also offered his view on the ability of the theory and practice of conciliarity to provide a worthy response to the challenges of postmodernism, which brought about a paradigm shift in thinking, as well as radical fragmentation and individualization of church life.
In addition to the editors of the volume, the authors of the published articles also took the floor. Paul Valliere presented the idea of the multidimensionality of conciliarity and emphasized the importance of the practical implementation of the theory of conciliarity in the everyday life of the Church. He also drew attention to the fact that the actual reception of the results of the Council of the Orthodox Church in Russia, 1917–1918, began only in the post-Soviet period, and therefore, a thorough understanding of the conciliar decisions remains relevant to this day.
Paul Gavrilyuk shared his personal memories of important church meetings and assemblies that became empirical manifestations of conciliarity in the life of the Church. At the same time, he emphasized the need to remember the eventful nature of conciliarity, its procedural character, and critically assessed radical anti-hierarchical movements, calling them “postmodern fantasies.”
Fr. Andrew Louth, in his concise but meaningful and wise statement, very aptly noted that “conciliarity is what it means to truly belong to one another.”
Sergii Bortnyk also spoke at the invitation of the meeting’s organizers. In his speech, he recalled sociological indicators on the level of religiosity of the Ukrainian population. In this context, he emphasized the idea of “the responsibility of the laity.” These are Christians who support their parishes and their Church as a whole in various aspects of its existence – from financial contributions to interest in the Church’s doctrine and attendance of worship services.
A comprehensive review of this fundamental volume is scheduled for publication on our website in 2026.
Currently, it is possible to find out more about the book by following this link: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/book/10.1002/9781394195855
