What are parishes in history. Parish - what is it? Place of parish in the Church. Parish life. Inner life and outer mission
Dear brothers and sisters! Here I would like not to suggest that you read something about our life, but, on the contrary, write. Namely, what do you think about the question in the title. Is it enough that the meeting where we come (someone every Sunday, and someone once a year), in order to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ from one Chalice, remains a parish, i.e. a place where you can "come" unnoticed, and therefore also "leave" unnoticed? Or so that it gradually turns into a community, i.e. a place where there is a community of people, where everyone who is waiting for Communion knows not only the name of the neighbor (which is very often not known to people in the “parish”), but also how he is doing at home, how his children are, what can and should be done help him?
Personally, I would like us to feel like in a family when we come to church, and not like in another work collective (the differences, I hope, are clear to everyone). But maybe this is not necessary? Maybe in our time, when time is sorely lacking for anything, we don’t need another family? At least with your own, one to cope! Why do we need extra commitments? Why waste my love, already meager and sometimes barely glowing in us on some other people, who are not pleasant for me, and sometimes not at all pleasant (even if we partake from the same Cup)? Maybe it is quite enough for salvation just to regularly come to church, light candles, participate in the Sacraments and run away immediately after the Cross, remaining indifferent to everything except yourself, your personal salvation or the life of your family, not being interested in what is happening in the community? Maybe really “He was smarter, who saved his fire ...” (as the performer who was once loved by me, but then stopped loving himself, sang in my childhood)?
To start the discussion, I would like to cite the statements of two clergymen, whom you probably know, published on the Pastor website:
When we address our parishioners from the pulpit, we say: "brothers and sisters." These words are not just an established form of address, like "comrade" in Soviet time or "lord" before the revolution, or "ladies and gentlemen." It is a designation of the essential relationship between parishioners. And if they are brothers and sisters, then it is assumed that they are not just people who gather in church only for divine services, but immediately go home and have nothing in common. Brothers and sisters are one parish family, one community.
But in different churches the church community can be actualized in different ways. It happens that a temple contains some significant shrine for many, or the temple itself is a local landmark, or it is the city's cathedral - in such temples, of course, there are a lot of people from outside, and communities do not always arise in them. Although we know very well that even in such parishes communities are being created, if the priests think about it and take care of it.
Therefore, here we are talking rather about different levels, as it were, the involvement of a person in church life... There is a core of the parish community; there are people who are on its periphery; and there are those who come to the temple and do not even know about the existence of such a family in the temple.
Coming from the community differs in much the same way as a team of employees differs from a family. The team can have a good relationship; can be formal. And in the family they know each other by name; in the family take care of each other, worry about each other. The family has connections that make the relationship warm, alive.
A parish is a place where people come to satisfy their religious needs - I would say so. There is a place where some needs are met, others, and others. The person also has religious needs; and here he comes and satisfies them in the parish. He will stand in the church at the service, think, somehow he will put his soul in order.
It's not bad. But, it seems to me, in the community that Christ had, there were still other relationships. After all, we still have to look for an image. Now, He had a community: 12 closest disciples. They worked together, ate together, they had common holidays, common sorrows. Probably, people somehow came to the coming to Christ. A man came: “I have no sight,” “I have no hearing,” “My hand has dried up. Help! " If they stayed in the community, and then together did a common cause, then the person became part of the community. They found out about him: "Here, this is Zacchaeus." Everyone remembers who Zacchaeus is, who he was, who he became. He became part of this community. Then he became a disciple of Christ, then he became a holy man.
And there were people who came, consumed, and left. And Christ, it seems to me, would like that there were no formal relations between Christians, but that people would take care of each other; so that the strong may bear the infirmities of the weak; so that if a person cannot get to the temple on his own, there would be a parishioner nearby who would offer his car and his time and bring him to the temple. This is a characteristic of the community. Because parishioners have the skill of caring for each other.
I am waiting for your thoughts on this topic!
Your svsch. AA
Interested in the question of what a church parish is, let's first figure out how it differs from a church. People often use the words "parish" and "temple" as synonyms, but there is still a difference between them. It is believed that the temple is just a building for cult purposes, and the parish is people who come to the temple, who are called so - parishioners. And they make up the whole parish, the Gospel explains very well, in which there are these words spoken by Jesus himself: "Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them." This suggests that people go to church services to communicate with the Lord and with each other.
What are parishes?
The definition must be sought in history. Let's try to figure out how the parishes arose, and what contributed to this. Let's start with the fact that until 313, Christianity was banned on the territory of the Roman Empire. True believers gathered secretly for services in separate places - in caves or houses.
After the end of the persecution for their services, the ancient Christians began to re-equip and consecrate the former pagan temples. In this way, the very concept of a parish as the primary structure of the Church and a form of self-organization of church life gradually emerges.
What is a parishioner?
The Bible says that the Church is the mystical body of Jesus Christ, and the parish is the cell of one large organism... A truly believing person should feel his involvement in the Universal Church precisely through such a community. This participation is mainly carried out through the sacrament of the Eucharist, where the transformation of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ takes place (through these holy gifts the Orthodox are united with the Lord), and already through Him comes the union with the entire Ecumenical Church. The very understanding of “being a Christian”, first of all, includes participation in the sacrament of the Eucharist.
Mission and charity
However, parish life is not only worship, it also includes non-church forms of activity - mission and charity. Missionary activity implies the education and upbringing of new members of the community. It is followed by charity: this is helping the sick and the weak, the elderly, the disabled, orphans and widows.
Divine service
You can come to church every day, stand at the service and participate in the sacraments, not forgetting about yourself and your salvation, as well as about the salvation of your relatives, but at the same time you cannot remain indifferent and not be interested in what is happening in your community.
It is difficult to call such people as members of a parish or community. A true member will be one who understands community life as a common cause. This is the Liturgy, which is not only a part of the liturgical circle, it includes everything: church worship, missionary work and charity.
On the question of what a parish is, it should also be noted that a parish is not something separate and self-sufficient, it must necessarily be closely connected with the Church.
Service in the church
Every believer should try to delve as deeply as possible into the activities of the entire Christian Orthodox Church... Only then can you give the correct answer to the question of what a parish is. And here it is also important to understand that the Church, as the body of Christ, is in its own way a huge living organism, in which, in addition to the main organ (heart), other organs must also work - the head of the hand, legs, liver, etc. And if the priest does not preach, then the community has no language, if there is no help for loved ones, then it is armless, there is no training in the basics of the Christian Orthodox faith - it is headless.
To summarize the theme “What is a parish”, we can as follows: the church community, the parish is a single whole, a kind of completeness in its own way. And if something is missing, the parish does not fulfill its spiritual functions.
1. A parish is a community of Orthodox Christians, consisting of clergy and laity, united at the church.
The parish is a canonical subdivision of the Russian Orthodox Church, it is under the commanding supervision of its diocesan bishop and under the leadership of the priest-rector appointed by him.
2. A parish is formed by the free consent of believers of citizens of the Orthodox faith who have reached the age of majority, with the blessing of the diocesan bishop. To obtain the status of a legal entity, a parish is registered by state authorities in the manner determined by the legislation of the country where the parish is located. The boundaries of the parishes are established by the diocesan council.
3. The parish begins its activities after the blessing of the diocesan bishop.
4. A parish in its civil legal activity is obliged to observe the canonical rules, the internal regulations of the Russian Orthodox Church and the legislation of the country in which it is located.
5. The parish shall obligatorily allocate funds through the diocese for general church needs in the amount established by the Holy Synod, and for diocesan needs in the manner and amount established by the diocesan authorities.
6. A parish in its religious, administrative, financial and economic activities is subordinate and accountable to the diocesan bishop. The parish implements the decisions of the diocesan assembly and the diocesan council and the orders of the diocesan bishop.
7. In the event of the separation of any part or the withdrawal of all members of the parish assembly from the parish, they cannot claim any rights to the parish property and funds.
8. If the parish meeting decides to withdraw from the hierarchical structure and jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church, the parish is deprived of confirmation of belonging to the Russian Orthodox Church, which entails the termination of the activity of the parish as a religious organization of the Russian Orthodox Church and deprives it of the right to property that belonged to the parish as property, use or on any other legal basis, as well as the right to use the name and symbols of the Russian Orthodox Church in the name.
9. Parish churches, houses of worship and chapels are built with the blessing of the diocesan authorities and in compliance with the procedure established by law.
10. The administration of the parish is exercised by the diocesan bishop, rector, parish meeting, parish council, chairman of the parish council.
The Diocesan Bishop belongs to the supreme administration of the parish.
The body of control over the activities of the parish is the audit commission.
11. Brotherhoods and sisterhoods are created by parishioners only with the consent of the rector and with the blessing of the diocesan bishop. Brotherhoods and sisterhoods aim to attract parishioners to participate in the cares and works of maintaining churches in proper condition, to charity, mercy, religious and moral education and upbringing. Fraternities and sisterhoods in parishes are under the supervision of the superior. In exceptional cases, the charter of a brotherhood or sisterhood, approved by the diocesan bishop, may be submitted for state registration.
12. Brotherhoods and sisterhoods begin their activities after the blessing of the diocesan bishop.
13. In carrying out their activities, brotherhoods and sisterhoods are guided by this Statute, decisions of Local and Bishops' Councils, decisions of the Holy Synod, decrees of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, decisions of the diocesan bishop and rector of a parish, as well as civil statutes of the Russian Orthodox Church, diocese, parish, which they are created, and by their own statutes, if fraternities and sisterhoods are registered as a legal entity.
14. Brotherhoods and sisterhoods allocate funds through parishes for general church needs in the amount established by the Holy Synod, for diocesan and parish needs in the manner and amount established by the diocesan authorities and parish rectors.
15. Brotherhoods and sisterhoods in their religious, administrative, financial and economic activities through parish rectors are subordinate and accountable to diocesan bishops. Brotherhoods and sisterhoods carry out the decisions of the diocesan authorities and parish rectors.
16. In the event of the separation of any part or the withdrawal of all members of the fraternity and sisterhood from their composition, they cannot claim any rights to fraternal and sister property and funds.
17. If the general meeting of the brotherhood and sisterhood decides to withdraw from the hierarchical structure and jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church, the brotherhood and sisterhood are deprived of confirmation of belonging to the Russian Orthodox Church, which entails the termination of the activities of the brotherhood and sisterhood as a religious organization of the Russian Orthodox Church and deprives them the right to property that belonged to the brotherhood or sisterhood on the basis of ownership, use or other legal basis, as well as the right to use the name and symbols of the Russian Orthodox Church in the name.
1. Abbot
18. At the head of each parish is the rector of the church, appointed by the diocesan bishop for the spiritual guidance of the believers and management of the parish and parish. In his activities, the rector is accountable to the diocesan bishop.
19. The rector is called to bear responsibility for the proper performance of services in accordance with the Church Statutes, for the church sermon, the religious and moral state and the appropriate upbringing of the members of the parish. He must conscientiously fulfill all liturgical, pastoral and administrative duties determined by his office, in accordance with the provisions of the canons and this Charter.
20. The duties of the prior, in particular, include:
a) leadership of the clergy in the performance of his liturgical and pastoral duties;
b) monitoring the condition of the church, its decoration and the availability of everything necessary for the performance of services in accordance with the requirements of the liturgical charter and the instructions of the hierarchy;
c) caring for correct and reverent reading and singing in the temple;
d) taking care of the exact fulfillment of the instructions of the diocesan bishop;
e) organization of catechism, charitable, church-social, educational and educational activities of the parish;
f) calling and presiding over meetings of the parish meeting;
g) if there are grounds for that, the suspension of the execution of decisions of the parish meeting and the parish council on issues of a doctrinal, canonical, liturgical or administrative-economic nature, with the subsequent transfer of this issue to the diocesan bishop for consideration;
h) overseeing the implementation of decisions of the parish meeting and the work of the parish council;
i) representing the interests of the parish in state and local government bodies;
j) submission directly to the diocesan bishop or through the dean of the annual reports on the state of the parish, on the activities carried out in the parish and on his work;
k) the implementation of official church correspondence;
l) keeping a liturgical journal and keeping the parish archive;
m) issuance of baptism and marriage certificates.
21. The abbot may receive leave and leave his parish for a while only with the permission of the diocesan authority, received in accordance with the established procedure.
2. Divine
22. The parish clerk is determined in the following composition: priest, deacon and psalmist. The number of members of the clergy may be increased or reduced by the diocesan authority at the request of the parish and in accordance with its needs, in any case, the clerk must consist of at least two persons - a priest and a psalmist.
Note: the position of the psalmist can be replaced by a person in the priesthood.
23. The election and appointment of clergy and clergymen belongs to the diocesan bishop.
24. To be ordained a deacon or priest it is necessary:
a) be a member of the Russian Orthodox Church;
b) be of legal age;
c) have the necessary moral qualities;
d) have sufficient theological training;
e) have a certificate of confessor about the absence of canonical obstacles to ordination;
f) not be under an ecclesiastical or civil court;
g) take the church oath.
25. Members of the clergy can be relocated and dismissed from their positions by the diocesan bishop on personal petition, on ecclesiastical court or on ecclesiastical expediency.
26. The duties of the members of the clergy are determined by the canons and orders of the diocesan bishop or abbot.
27. The parish clerk is responsible for the spiritual and moral state of the parish and for the fulfillment of his liturgical and pastoral duties.
28. Members of the clergy cannot leave the parish without the permission of the church authority, which is received in accordance with the established procedure.
29. A clergyman may take part in the celebration of a divine service in another parish with the consent of the diocesan bishop of the diocese in which this parish is located, or with the consent of the dean or rector, if he has a certificate confirming canonical legal capacity.
30. In accordance with Canon 13 of the IV Ecumenical Council, clergymen can be admitted to another diocese only if they have a letter of leave from the diocesan bishop.
3. Parishioners
31. Parishioners are persons of the Orthodox faith who maintain a lively connection with their parish.
32. Each parishioner has a duty to participate in divine services, regularly confess and receive communion, observe the canons and church precepts, perform works of faith, strive for religious and moral improvement and contribute to the welfare of the parish.
33. It is the responsibility of parishioners to take care of material content clergyman and temple.
4. Parish meeting
34. The governing body of the parish is the parish meeting, headed by the rector of the parish, who is, by virtue of his position, the chairman of the parish meeting.
The parish assembly includes the clergy of the parish, as well as parishioners who regularly participate in the liturgical life of the parish, who are worthy of their commitment to Orthodoxy, moral character and life experience to participate in solving parish affairs, who have reached the age of 18 and are not banned, as well as not held accountable by an ecclesiastical or secular court.
35. Admission to membership in the parish meeting and withdrawal from it is carried out on the basis of a petition (statement) by the decision of the parish meeting. If a member of the parish meeting is recognized as not corresponding to his position, he may be removed from the parish meeting by the decision of the latter.
If the members of the parish meeting deviate from the canons, this Statute and other regulations of the Russian Orthodox Church, as well as if they violate the statute of the parish, the composition of the parish meeting may be changed in whole or in part by the decision of the diocesan bishop.
36. The parish meeting is convened by the rector or, by order of the diocesan bishop, by the dean, or other authorized representative of the diocesan bishop at least once a year.
Parish meetings dedicated to the election and re-election of members of the parish council are held with the participation of a dean or other representative of the diocesan bishop.
37. The meeting is held in accordance with the agenda presented by the chairman.
38. The Chairman shall preside over the meetings in accordance with the adopted rules of procedure.
39. The parish meeting is competent to make decisions with the participation of at least half of the members. The decisions of the parish meeting are adopted by a simple majority vote, in case of equality of votes, the vote of the chairman is decisive.
40. The parish meeting elects from among its members a secretary responsible for drawing up the minutes of the meeting.
41. The minutes of the parish meeting are signed by: the chairman, the secretary and five elected members of the parish meeting. The minutes of the parish meeting are approved by the diocesan bishop, after which decisions taken take effect.
42. The decisions of the parish meeting can be announced to the parishioners in the church.
43. The duties of the parish meeting include:
a) preserving the inner unity of the parish and promoting its spiritual and moral growth;
b) the adoption of the civil Charter of the parish, amendments and additions to it, which are approved by the diocesan bishop and come into force from the moment of state registration;
c) admitting and expelling members of the parish meeting;
d) election of the parish council and the audit commission;
e) planning the financial and economic activities of the parish;
f) ensuring the safety of church property and taking care of its augmentation;
g) adoption of plans for expenditures, including the amount of deductions for charity and religious and educational purposes, and their submission for approval by the diocesan bishop;
h) approval of plans and consideration of design estimates for the construction and repair of church buildings;
i) consideration and submission for approval by the diocesan bishop of financial and other reports of the parish council and reports of the audit commission;
j) approval of the staffing table and determination of the content of members of the clergy and parish council;
k) determination of the procedure for disposing of the parish property on the terms determined by this Charter, the Charter of the Russian Orthodox Church (civil), the charter of the diocese, the charter of the parish, as well as current legislation;
l) concern for the availability of everything necessary for the canonical administration of the divine service;
m) concern for the state of church singing;
n) initiation of parish petitions before the diocesan bishop and civil authorities;
o) consideration of complaints against members of the parish council, the audit commission and their presentation to the diocesan administration.
5. Parish council
44. The parish council is the executive body of the parish and is accountable to the parish assembly.
45. The parish council consists of a chairman, an assistant abbot and a treasurer.
46. Parish council:
a) implements the decisions of the parish meeting;
b) submit for consideration and approval by the parish meeting plans of economic activities, annual plans of expenditures and financial statements;
c) is responsible for the preservation and maintenance in proper order of temple buildings, other structures, structures, premises and adjacent territories belonging to the parish of land and all property owned or used by the parish, and keeps records of it;
d) acquires property necessary for the arrival, keeps inventory books;
e) solves current economic issues;
f) provides the parish with the necessary property;
g) provides housing to members of the parish clergy in those cases when they need it;
h) takes care of the protection and beauty of the church, the maintenance of deanery and order during divine services and processions;
i) takes care of providing the church with everything necessary for the splendid performance of divine services.
47. Members of the parish council may be removed from the parish council by decision of the parish meeting or by order of the diocesan bishop, if there are due grounds.
48. The chairman of the parish council, without a power of attorney, exercises the following powers on behalf of the parish:
- issues orders (orders) on the employment (dismissal) of workers of the parish; concludes labor and civil law contracts with parish workers, as well as agreements on material liability (the chairman of the parish council, who is not a rector, exercises these powers in agreement with the rector);
- disposes of the property and funds of the parish, including concluding relevant agreements on behalf of the parish and concluding other transactions in the manner prescribed by this Charter;
- represents the parish in court;
- has the right to issue powers of attorney to exercise the powers provided for by this Article of the Charter on behalf of the parish, as well as to maintain contacts with state bodies, local self-government bodies, citizens and organizations in connection with the exercise of these powers.
49. The abbot is the chairman of the parish council.
The Diocesan Bishop has the right, by his sole decision:
a) dismiss, at his own discretion, the rector from the post of chairman of the parish council;
b) appoint to the position of the chairman of the parish council (for a period of three years with the right to appoint for a new term without limiting the number of such appointments) an assistant rector (church elder) or another person, including a parish cleric, with his introduction into the parish meeting and parish advice.
The Diocesan Bishop has the right to remove a member of the parish council from work if he violates the canons, provisions of this Charter or the civil charter of the parish.
50. All documents officially issued by the parish are signed by the rector and (or) the chairman of the parish council within their competence.
51. Banking and other financial documents are signed by the chairman of the parish council and the treasurer. In civil relations, the treasurer acts as the chief accountant. The treasurer keeps track of and stores funds, donations and other receipts, prepares an annual financial report. The parish keeps accounting records.
52. In the event of the re-election by the parish meeting or the change by the diocesan bishop of the composition of the parish council, as well as in the event of re-election, dismissal by the diocesan bishop or the death of the chairman of the parish council, the parish meeting shall form a commission of three members, which draws up an act on the availability of property and funds. The parish council accepts material values on the basis of this act.
53. The duties of the assistant to the chairman of the parish council are determined by the parish meeting.
54. The duties of the treasurer include accounting and storage of monetary amounts and other donations, maintaining income and expense books, performing financial transactions within the budget on the instructions of the chairman of the parish council and drawing up an annual financial report.
6. Revision Commission
55. The parish assembly shall elect from among its members a parish audit committee, consisting of a chairman and two members, for a period of three years. The audit committee is accountable to the parish meeting. The Audit Commission checks the financial and economic activities of the parish, the preservation and accounting of property, its use for its intended purpose, conducts an annual inventory, audits the enrollment of donations and receipts and the expenditure of funds. The audit committee submits the results of the checks and the corresponding proposals for consideration by the parish meeting.
In the event of abuse, the Audit Commission immediately informs the diocesan authorities. The Auditing Commission has the right to send the inspection report directly to the diocesan bishop.
56. The right to audit the financial and economic activities of the parish and parish institutions also belongs to the diocesan bishop.
57. Members of the parish council and the audit committee cannot be closely related.
58. The duties of the audit commission include:
a) a regular audit, including checking the availability of funds, the legality and correctness of the expenses incurred and the keeping of expense books by the receipt;
b) conducting, as necessary, checking the financial and economic activities of the parish, the safety and accounting of the property belonging to the parish;
c) annual inventory of the parish property;
d) control over the withdrawal of mugs and donations.
59. The Audit Commission draws up acts on the inspections carried out and submits them to a regular or extraordinary meeting of the parish meeting. In the event of abuse, lack of property or funds, as well as errors in the conduct and execution of financial transactions, the parish meeting makes an appropriate decision. It has the right to bring a claim in court, having previously obtained the consent of the diocesan bishop.
For parishioners.
In a number of countries Western Europe(for example, in Ireland, England, Portugal) church parishes correspond - in terms of territorial coverage - the smallest administrative-territorial units.
In Church Slavonic languages, the word "Coming" derived from the verb come, that is, an arrival is a collection parishioners- Christians who regularly visit a temple, chapel, prayer house, and so on. V modern Russia one layman can be a permanent parishioner (and even a full-time employee) of several churches at once, although before the revolution (coup) of 1917, each Orthodox Christian was rigidly assigned to only one parish, exclusively in which he had to pray, confess, receive communion, get married and to receive unction. Moreover, parish churches kept registers of births and performed the functions of modern registry offices, notaries and passport offices, everything was registered in them: who, to whom and when was born, died, got married, came from another place of residence (or left with the intention of settling where -that), acts of purchase, sale, donation, and even the political reliability of each local resident was recorded.
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In Russia in the pre-synodal era
Speaking on December 23, 2009 at the Diocesan meeting of the clergy of the Moscow diocese with a report, Patriarch Kirill, in particular, said: “In the previous version of the model charter, the Parish meeting was indicated as the supreme governing body of the parish. However, in fact, most of the most important powers in the management of the parish were assigned to the ruling bishop. The charter, for example, established a rule according to which decisions of the Parish Assembly came into force only after their approval by the ruling bishop. This rule is also preserved in the new edition of the model charter, which directly calls the ruling bishop the highest governing body of the parish. The ruling bishop has full authority in this area. First of all, this concerns personnel issues. Decisions on the appointment and dismissal of the rector, on changing the composition of the Parish Assembly are made by the ruling bishop. The exclusive prerogative of the ruling bishop is to decide on the liquidation of the parish and on making the necessary changes to the parish charter (if the Holy Synod approves such changes).<…>Among the officials of the parish, a special place is occupied by the chairman of the Parish Council, which, according to the charter of the parish, has the right to first sign banking and other financial documents. He also recruits staff of the parish, concludes contracts on behalf of the parish. According to the previous version of the model charter, the chairman of the Parish Council was elected by the Parish Assembly from among its members and was confirmed in office by the ruling bishop. In other words, the office of the chairman of the Parish Council was elective; only in exceptional cases could the ruling bishop appoint a parish rector to this position.<…>The new charter is as close as possible in its content to the charter of the parish, which was in force until 1961. The new edition of the parish model charter is an important step towards returning the rectors to the administrative, economic and financial leadership of the parishes. The rector now holds the position of chairman of the Parish Council. At the same time, in some cases, the ruling bishop has the right to appoint another person as chairman of the Parish Council, including a parish cleric or layman. "
Parish worship
Parish liturgical practice has some characteristic features. On the whole, in comparison with the pompous bishop's cathedral divine service, the parish divine service is distinguished by its modesty, and unlike the lengthy monastic one, by its brevity.
Parish educational activities
According to the Charter of the Russian Orthodox Church and the decrees of the bishops' councils, Sunday schools for different age groups of parishioners should function in all parishes, readings should be held - explaining the teachings of the church for those wishing to be baptized. Between services there should be specials - teaching church singing and reading in Church Slavonic. Parishes are obliged to organize and support religious processions, pilgrimages to holy places, exhibitions of various church art, hiking in nature, sports competitions. It is desirable for them to independently publish and distribute parish newspapers, to have their own (parish) websites on the Internet.
Parish priests are obliged to select candidates for the priesthood among their male parishioners, to involve them in studying and teaching in Sunday school, in singing in the kliros and in reading in the temple, sacristanism in the altar, for all works on the temple and in the surrounding area, to
1The article analyzes a church parish from a socio-historical point of view as a micro-social group. This social phenomenon is considered in at least three aspects: church-canonical, legal and socio-historical. The article is written on material reflecting the development of the parish in the pre-revolutionary period. The structure of the parish, its various religious and social functions (moral and ethical, religious and ideological, cultural and educational, socio-political, charitable) are analyzed. The relationship between the clergy (clergy) and parishioners (laity) is also discussed in the article. The work focuses on the relationship between the parish and the state, the parish and heterodox believers. The question is raised about the need for further socio-philosophical study of this phenomenon in connection with the fact that today in Russia there is an intensification of parish life, which naturally cannot but influence the public consciousness of its citizens.
sociology
Christianity
education
charity
1. Berdnikov I.S. What is needed to renew the Orthodox Russian parish. - SPb., 1907 .-- 156 p.
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4. Dobruskin M.E. On the social functions of the church (based on the materials of the Russian Orthodox Church). / M. E. Dobruskin. - 2002 // Sociological Research (SOCIS): Monthly scientific and socio-political journal. - 04/2002. - N4. S. 76-86.
5. Dobrovolskaya T.A., Masteropulo A.P., Poddubny M.B. On the prospects for the revival of Christian charity T.A. Dobrovolskaya, A.P. Masteropulo. M.V. Poddubny // On the way to freedom of conscience / comp. and total. ed. D.E. Furman and O. Mark. - M.: Progress, 1989 .-- S. 274-293.
6. Spiritual regulations, diligence and command of the Most Blessed. Most Reigning Sovereign Peter the Great. Of the Emperor and Autocrat of the All-Russian, by the consent and verdict of the All-Russian Spiritual Order and the Governing Senate in reigning St. Petersburg, in the summer of Christmas 1721 composed. - M., 1856. - Part 2. Art. 8. - 198 p.
7. Zaozersky, N.A. What is an Orthodox parish and what should it be? / N. Zaozersky. - Sergiev Posad: Warehouse ed. in the book. magician. M.S. Elova, 1912 .-- 114 p.
8. Znamenskiy P.V. Parish clergy in Russia. Parish clergy in Russia since the time of Peter's reforms. - SPb., 2003 .-- 800 p.
9. Instructions for church elders (Highly approved on April 17, 1808) and subsequent legal provisions relating to their duties. with the attached provisions: on parish guardianship and | church fraternities / comp. prot. I. Chizhevsky. - Kharkov, 1883 .-- 73 p.
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Since the emergence of human civilization, communities and all kinds of other types of associations of people have been functioning, which are characterized by the independence of actions and decisions. Each historical stage is characterized by its own level of development of society with characteristic basic elements, the structure and forms of self-organization, which are determined by the degrees of freedom available at that time, implemented by society. Thus, the traditional agrarian world was distinguished by the presence of self-governing, well-organized local communities, which, meanwhile, were radically different from what we today call civil society.
Christian communities were one of the many historical forms of self-organization of society. It was nothing more than what we today call the microsocial group, that is, the primary organizations of macrosocial structures. In the complex hierarchical system of the Christian Church, such were the communities that later received the name "parish".
The term “parish” was first encountered in written Russian sources dating from the late 15th century. Previously, the relationship between the priest and the flock was described not in terms of a territorial community, but within the framework of a “penitential family” consisting of people who regularly confess to a particular spiritual father.
The modern parish researcher P.S. Stefanovich believes that initially in Russia, the parish coincided with a churchyard - a secular association performing the functions of both a religious and administrative-fiscal district, with a cemetery and a church in the center. And only the end of the 15th - beginning of the 16th centuries were marked by the separation of a parish from an association performing religious, economic and administrative functions into a purely religious association.
A parish was a collection of people who come to a particular church, that is, a religious community interacting with the ministers of the church and formed according to the territorial principle. By the decision of the Stoglava Council of 1551, the parish, in its purely religious terms, became the object of canonical church law. Of considerable importance for the ordering of parish life was the 1775 "Instruction to Dean Priests, or Archpriests" edited by Metropolitan Platon (Levshin), with corrections made by the Synod to it. Later, in 1841, the "Charter of Spiritual Consistories" became an official document defining the structure of the Orthodox parishes of the Russian Church. Over time, the document was amended by a number of decrees of the Holy Synod.
The parish was a grassroots unit of the church organization. Written sources of the 18th-19th centuries testify that this term in this period was used in the following meanings: 1) the church community of the parish - parishioners and clergy, headed by the rector of the parish church; 2) a grassroots ecclesiastical administrative district (both with and without a church); 3) parishioners - the population assigned to the district; 4) only clear (the least used definition of the above).
It is difficult to give a comprehensive and unambiguous definition of this concept, since the parish can be viewed from at least three perspectives: church-canonical interpretation, interpretation in the context of current legislation and its actual state in a given historical period. The chosen perspective determines the definition of the concept.
From the church-canonical point of view, a parish is a church consisting of laity and clergy, canonically dependent on the bishop and governed by the presbyter appointed by him. The word "church" in this definition is used in its original meaning, that is, as a "community of believers." In other words, in the Orthodox Church, the concept of a parish also has a church-social meaning: laity or parishioners are the same members of the church as are its ministers. A parish is unthinkable without a shepherd and has a direct connection with the diocesan bishop (bishop).
Under the conditions of the legal inseparability of church and state, the "Charter of Spiritual Consistories" considered the parish as the primary structural and statistical unit of the church-state organization of society, in which the liturgical component stood, as it were, apart. On the one hand, this is the aggregate of parishioners, on the other, these are certain settlements assigned to a particular church, constituting a territorial entity as part of the diocese.
According to the legislative norms and parish reality that had developed by the 60s of the XIX century, the parish was defined as structural part diocese (ecclesiastical district), which had its own church with a clergy appointed by the bishop. The temple united on a certain territory parishioners of the Orthodox Church to meet moral and religious needs.
In the Synodal period, as, indeed, now, the parish was characterized by the following distinctive features: 1) binding to the territory; 2) the decisive role of the building-temple in the parish organization; 3) the appointment of clergy and clergymen with no obligation to take into account the opinion of parishioners, although the ancient church canons require it to be taken into account; 4) the parish and parishioners live according to two "laws" - the ancient canon law and the current state legislation; 5) the regulated composition of the clergy; 6) the management of the parish economy in the sense of leadership is a monopoly of the clergy - the laity do not have independence in this area, their role is purely performing and auxiliary; 7) the presence of an abbot, clergyman and church elder, both before and now, is a prerequisite for the activity of the church as an institution.
At the same time, the church as a temple could function even in the absence of a permanently assigned composition of parishioners (non-parish church, cathedral). The right to create and close parishes belonged to the Holy Synod, but the boundaries between parishes were set by the diocesan bishop. Currently, this right belongs to the bishop. The Synod usually does not interfere in this matter.
In the first half of the 19th century, the interpretation of the concept of “parish” with the help of the terms “community”, “society” to a large extent reflected not the real state, but a certain desired pattern. In reality, most of the parishioners did not accept active participation in parish life. Unity in relations with the clergy was not always close. At the same time, attempts to form a real community out of parishioners at the church, which would be an initiative, cohesive community, actively promoting educational and charitable activities in the parish, were especially actively undertaken since the second half of the 19th century.
At first, this happened on the initiative “from below” - as spontaneously formed initiative groups (for example, the so-called “trustees” who, thanks to their activity, were nominated from the residents and by the residents of a particular village). It was from such persons that church councils were formed, which, under the leadership of the clergy, were involved in the solution and implementation of general parish issues. After some time, and at the all-Russian level, this idea was embodied in documents. The main among them was the "Regulations on parish guardianship at Orthodox churches."
Fulfilling the function of the primary unit of the church organization, the parish and its structure have become more complex over time. The constituent elements of the arrival by the 70s. XIX century were: a temple (as well as other structures for the implementation of moral and religious social activities), a cemetery (although not necessarily at the temple), parishioners, clergy, as well as optional elements: an almshouse, a parish school, church social organizations (for example , brotherhoods, sobriety societies), a parish hospital and similar parish institutions.
The temple, being a meeting place for parishioners and a place of public worship, performed a parish-forming function. The clergy and clergy were appointed to it. Parishioners united around the temple. With him there was a church elder, elected at the general meeting of the parish. Thus, the parish community was an element of the institution-church. In relation to the temple as a sacred territory (the temple was always consecrated by a bishop and from that time it was believed that the presence of God on earth here was especially real), the parishioners represented a secondary component. They came here for sanctification through the prayers of the Church. In this context, a parish without a church building would be an unthinkable phenomenon, while the existence of a temple without a parish community and parish would be possible.
In addition to the clergy and the church, the structural element of the parish, as already mentioned, was the institution of church elders. The emergence of this position is associated with ancient Russian church law. The powers and responsibilities of the church elder were determined by the practical needs of the particular parish. The elders managed parish affairs under the supervision of the rector, could represent the parish in court, in transactions, and so on.
The parish head office received its official status in the decrees of Peter I (1718 and 1721), according to which the parish head was assigned the duty to supervise the sale of candles and church property. The Instruction to Church Elders, approved in 1808 by Alexander I, regulated their activities throughout the 19th century. The church elder was elected at the general meeting of the parish from among the parishioners for each parish church for the purpose of acquiring, using, and keeping church property and funds under the guidance and supervision of the rector, dean and diocesan leadership.
The peculiarities of the position of the headman in the parish were most clearly manifested in his powers concerning church income. The clergyman was responsible for spending church funds. The church headman, who does not have the right to dispose of them directly, was present at their testimony (along with other "venerable" parishioners who have the right to do so), performing the function of a surety for the whole of the funds belonging to the church.
The parish fulfilled numerous functions. The main ones among them should be noted the following: moral and ethical, religious and ideological, cultural and educational, socio-political, charitable and so on. It was the parish, which is the lower structure of the church, that was the place where the population directly contacts with representatives of the church organization. The above functions of the church were realized in the process of interaction of clergymen with parishioners in the course of their performance of specific duties, as enshrined in legislation (for example, in laws Russian Empire there are many provisions that are aimed at protecting and deepening the Orthodox religiosity of its citizens). Quite a few of these responsibilities included those that, by default, were considered an integral part of church ministry.
The moral and ethical function of the church meant the preaching of moral values, condemnation of behavior contrary to Christian morality, approval and sanctification through the blessing of a priest of behavioral models corresponding to the moral and ethical principles of Christianity. This function was realized through publicly delivered teachings and sermons, a personal example of the clergy, church punishment (penance), confession, individual instructions, general conversations, and so on.
The implementation of the religious and ideological function consisted in the formation of an Orthodox worldview in people, an increase in the authority of the Orthodox Church, the conversion of unbelievers or believers of other confessions to the Orthodox faith, that is, missionary work, and the like.
Regarding the latter point, I must say that the issue of missionary work was given special importance. In the so-called "registers of births" (in fact, these were books of records of church-civil status - baptism, marriage, burial) there was a special section "On those who joined." Here were entered data on persons who switched from one or another confession or denomination to Orthodoxy. In the service records of the clergy, such cases were noted as especially important merit of this or that priest.
The implementation of the religious and ideological function at the parish level has always implied religious propaganda through personal conversations, sermons, Sunday readings, teaching the Law of God in pre-revolutionary educational institutions of various types (as a rule, this subject was taught by the priest of the local parish), work on Sunday and parish schools.
The cultural function of the Church is understood as the creation of spiritual values that enrich both religious and secular culture. This ward-level function includes: facilitating parishioners' access to cultural property, promoting education, spreading literacy through a network of Sunday and parish schools, holding educational readings among parishioners, creating church libraries, exhibitions and much more in this direction.
The development of charity in the parish largely depended on the activity of the clergy. For this, the following work was carried out: various forms of preaching, convincing the people of the need for mercy in relation to the suffering, organizing shelters, almshouses, hospitals with the participation of parishioners, identifying people in need of help, and providing it as much as possible, organizing charitable events.
The priest-rector was the central figure in the parish. Other members of the clergy assisted him in church administration and in divine services. As a clergyman, the parish priest was obliged to perform public services on holidays and Sundays. As part of his parish, he was supposed to perform Christian services and sacraments, conduct private services
The parish clergy conducted its activities strictly on the territory of the parish. With the exception of individual cases it was forbidden to send demands on the territories of other parishes. For example, a priest did not have the right to refuse the sacrament of a seriously ill person (in the absence of a local priest), to refuse to baptize an infant under threat of death. It was allowed to perform burial, communion of the sick or baptism over persons who were passing through the territory of the parish or temporarily residing there. A priest could perform services outside his parish at the request of the rector of the local church or by order of the bishop. At the same time, the priest was obliged to make a corresponding entry about the requirement in his birth register, and to the priest of the parish where it was held, he had to give a written certificate, as well as, as was the case in practice, and the income from this requirement.
In relation to the heterodox, in the absence of an appropriate cleric, the priest was obliged to send requests at their request (Catholics, Protestants, etc.). Of course, this could have been the case if the petitioner agreed with the conditions laid down for the respective worship service. A corresponding entry was made in the register.
Ideally, the priest was supposed to perform not only the function of a demanding ruler, but also to be a spiritual teacher, pastor, leader of his parish - both in the church and outside it. He was obliged to instruct parishioners in the truths of faith and the principles of the Christian way of life, to eradicate superstitions, to educate those who are in error, to observe the moral and religious life of parishioners. If necessary, impose penances (spiritual punishments) to eradicate the negative habits of the parishioners.
According to the biblical texts, preaching is one of the most important means of spiritual influence on the people. The clergy were obliged to preach the Word of God in churches, as well as at any other convenient opportunity to instruct the parishioners in faith and piety, in obedience to authorities and good behavior. The clergy were required to regularly deliver catechetical teachings and sermons aimed at solving the varied problems of the parishioners.
In addition, the priest-rector had the right to establish almshouses, schools, brotherhoods, trusteeships, holding the post of an indispensable member in these institutions. The parish priest controlled the church order, the well-being of the church, kept documents and church seals, sacred objects, and monitored the behavior of members of the clergy. Together with the headman and the clerk, he kept records of parish funds, managed the parish property.
In addition to the direct religious functions, the parish clergy performed many duties of a civil and almost police nature. Since the time of Peter I, the secular authorities have sought to use confession to control the moods of their subjects, although they did not always succeed - the secret of confession hindered. In secular legislation, the obligation of regular confession was enshrined. For this purpose, special confession statements were kept (first of all, this concerned confession during Great Lent). It included not only the surname, name and patronymic of the confessor, the date of confession and his place of residence, but also the amount of the sacrifice made by the penitent.
In the 19th century, parish priests were obliged to indicate in their reports to the bishop information about the sacraments and confessors, noting those who did not receive communion and did not confess for two or more years, even after admonitions. Priests, by order of the civil authorities or by order of the spiritual leadership, were obliged to announce state decrees and imperial manifestos in parish churches.
The duties of the parish clergy also included the registration of acts of civil status. The birth, marriage and death facts were recorded in the registers of birth. They recorded the population belonging to a particular church. Records could be made both by the priest himself and by deacons or clerks, but the abbot had to sign them.
Before performing the marriage ceremony, the clergy were obliged to make sure that there were no circumstances that made this marriage impossible. This was done through the so-called "announcement" (usually it was a public announcement repeated several times at the end of services about the couple's desire to get married). The parishioners were asked whether they were aware of the circumstances that hinder the marriage. There were also “marriage searches”. They consisted of a survey of guarantors and witnesses of the spouses themselves, as well as consideration of the relevant documents: registers of births, confessions, form lists, orders of resignation, passports, and so on.
The parish priest was obliged to send annually to the presences responsible for military service, lists of persons who had reached draft age. Issuance of extracts of birth, marriage, death (often these documents were called "extract from ...") was also carried out at the parish level. To obtain full legal force, these "extracts" were subject to certification in the consistory, that is, in the office of the diocesan administration.
In the late XIX - early XX centuries. Russian scientists actively studied the Orthodox parish. It was also actively discussed in the church environment. In Soviet times, for obvious reasons, the theme of parish life rarely appeared in the pages of scientific literature, and even then most often in a distorted form.
Modern scholars are beginning to take an interest in this topic. This is all the more necessary because today the leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church is making colossal efforts not only to organize new parishes, but also to revitalize parish life as such. The Church has published and is publishing many normative documents in this direction.
A socio-philosophical analysis of this phenomenon, which has deep socio-historical roots, is extremely necessary, since it affects a large part of the population of Russia and actively influences the formation of the national mentality of its citizens.
Reviewers:
Arinin E.I., Doctor of Philosophy, Professor, Head of the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Humanities Institute FSBEI VPO "Vladimirsky State University named after Alexander Grigorievich and Nikolai Grigorievich Stoletovs ", Vladimir;
Katunina NS, Doctor of Philosophy, Professor of the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies of the Humanitarian Institute of the Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education "Vladimir State University named after Alexander Grigorievich and Nikolai Grigorievich Stoletovs", Vladimir.
Bibliographic reference
Gorbachuk G.N. CHURCH PARISH AS A MICROSOCIAL GROUP: ORGANIZATIONAL BASIS AND FUNCTIONING TRENDS // Contemporary problems science and education. - 2015. - No. 2-2 .;URL: http://science-education.ru/ru/article/view?id=21670 (date of access: 12/14/2019). We bring to your attention the journals published by the "Academy of Natural Sciences"