Orthodox faith
We confess the Triune God, Jesus Christ crucified and risen, the authority of Scripture and Holy Tradition, and the sacramental life of the Church.
Explore our faith →An Orthodox church for free and faithful communities
Ancient faith.
Living conscience.
The Apostolic Orthodox Church is an independent Orthodox Christian communion formed in 2000, bringing together communities shaped by Scripture, Holy Tradition, sacramental life, synodal responsibility and the dignity of the human person.
“A church is most credible when the Gospel is visible in the freedom, responsibility and love of its people.”
Our public witnessSynodal church
Our history is marked by councils, local responsibility and a conviction that church order exists to serve the Gospel rather than replace it.
How we are organised →Freedom of conscience
Co-founder Gleb Yakunin’s lifelong defense of religious liberty gives the Church a distinctive heritage of Christian witness in public life.
Read the story →A communion wider than one nation
Rooted locally.
Connected globally.
Official church history describes communities in 27 countries across all continents. Public church records show life in Eurasia, Africa, the Americas and the Pacific, while national and local churches retain meaningful responsibility for their own mission.
Meet the communities →EuropeAfricaAmericasPacificUkraineAsia
A modern chapter in an ancient tradition
From renewal movement to international church
- 2000A declaration for the renewal of Orthodoxy leads to the Apostolic Orthodox Church.
- 2004The central religious organisation is registered under the name Association of Orthodox Communities of the Apostolic Tradition.
- 2023Archbishop Grigory is elected Primate by an extraordinary session of the Church Council.
- TodayCommunities pursue worship, mission and Christian service across national and cultural borders.
A tradition with room to breathe
Faithful to the dogmatic inheritance. Open to responsible renewal.
The Church’s published confession embraces the dogmas of the Ecumenical Councils, seven sacraments, the communion of saints and the riches of both Eastern and Western Christian heritage. It also allows carefully discerned pastoral and liturgical development when faithful to Scripture and Tradition.
Begin here