Young Men Flood Orthodox Churches Seeking "Masculine" Faith and Ancient Tradition
United States — Young, single men are flocking to the Orthodox church after discovering the "masculine" Christian religion through online influencers. Some converts said they felt disillusioned with the "feminization" of the Protestant church and were attracted to the "authenticity" of Orthodoxy, which they claim pushes them physically and mentally.
Priests are now planning to open new parishes to accommodate the "tsunami" of young men who have converted since the pandemic. They say that most of the new converts found the Orthodox church by watching YouTube videos or listening to podcasts.
Father Moses McPherson, an Orthodox priest in Georgetown, Texas, told the BBC he has prepared 75 converts for baptism at his parish in the past six months alone. Father Moses, a former roofer turned priest, says many men are disillusioned with modern Christianity's emotional focus and lack of discipline. "I don't want to go to services that feel like a Taylor Swift concert," he said, criticizing the emotionalism and "feminization" of worship in American evangelical churches.
Seraphim Holland, a priest at the St Nicholas Orthodox Church in McKinney, Texas, has witnessed a surge of converts in recent years. Whereas before the pandemic a maximum of six people would convert annually, this year he currently has 29 catechumens – people studying the Orthodox faith. Of these, he said, the majority found the church online. He had to enlist volunteers to help with the "tsunami of people coming in" and they are looking at starting new Orthodox churches nearby.
A 2023 survey by the Orthodox Studies Institute of Orthodox clergy in 20 parishes across 15 states found there had been a 80 percent increase in the number of converts to the Orthodox church in 2022, compared with pre-pandemic levels in 2019. Of these, 60 percent were men, compared with 54 percent in 2019.
Pew Research Center data shows the percentage of men in Orthodox churches has grown from 46 percent in 2007 to 64 percent today.
Emmanuel Castillo began reading the Bible while he was guarding al-Qaeda prisoners in Guantanamo Bay. Searching for something he felt "embodied the teachings and practices of the early Christians", in 2018 he found St Ignatius Orthodox Christian Church near his home in Mesa, Arizona. The father of two, who has since left the military, was baptized the following year.
Castillo is open about his faith with his thousands of online followers and receives scores of messages from young men interested in the Orthodox church. He believes part of the surge in men converting to the Orthodox church is a rejection of the "feminization" of other denominations. "It's unfortunate that feminism has kind of sunk its teeth into all of our organizations to include Christianity," he said.
Many of the new converts had been drawn to the "masculine" nature of church, which puts emphasis on denial and pushing yourself physically. Worshippers must stand for long services, which can last upwards of five hours. They must fast, too, sometimes for up to 40 days.
Faithful women have long been the beating heart of many congregations. But this sex imbalance seems set to reverse. Today, women are disaffiliating from churches at a higher rate than men. In Generation Z, more women than men now identify as religiously unaffiliated, and Gen-Z men are more likely to attend church than Gen-Z women.
Many Gen-Z men appear to be gravitating specifically to churches that are traditional in liturgy and conservative in doctrine, and that exert a "masculine" appeal. They are taking a pass on mainline and progressive evangelical churches that echo the broader culture's suspicion of masculinity.
THE CRUSADER'S OPINION
Young men are walking out of evangelical megachurches with fog machines and praise bands and walking into Orthodox churches with five-hour services, grueling fasts, and zero compromise. They're trading emotionalism for ancient liturgy. Entertainment for discipline. Cultural Christianity for the faith that shaped Christendom.
The numbers tell the story. Orthodox Christianity went from 46% male in 2007 to 64% male today. Conversions jumped 80% since 2019, with 60% being men. Priests are scrambling to open new parishes because they can't handle the flood. One Texas priest baptized 75 converts in six months. These aren't cultural Christians looking for Sunday social clubs. They're men hungry for something real.
They're rejecting churches that feel like Taylor Swift concerts. They're done with sermons designed not to offend anyone. They've watched Western Christianity bend to feminism, compromise on biblical truth, and trade historic doctrine for cultural relevance. And they're choosing the opposite.
Orthodoxy demands physical endurance. Standing for hours during worship. Fasting for 40 days. Confession. Discipline. Structure. These aren't barriers. They're attractions. Young men don't want faith made easy. They want faith that challenges them, shapes them, and connects them to 2,000 years of Christian witness.
This trend extends beyond Orthodoxy. Traditional Catholic parishes are exploding with young families. Conservative Anglican churches are packed. Everywhere men can find robust doctrine, liturgical beauty, and unapologetic masculinity, they're showing up.
The mainline denominations thought modernizing would attract youth. They were wrong. Stripping away tradition, watering down theology, and apologizing for biblical truth drove men away. Young men don't want churches that mirror the culture. They want churches that challenge it.
This is what happens when Christianity stops apologizing for being Christianity. When worship feels sacred instead of manufactured. When priests act like spiritual fathers instead of motivational speakers. When the faith demands something instead of promising everything.
The "feminization" of American Christianity isn't about women in church. It's about making faith emotional, therapeutic, and non-confrontational.
Young men are rejecting that wholesale.
They want the faith of the martyrs, the Church Fathers, the saints who built Western civilization...
And they're finding it.
TAKE ACTION
Explore Traditional Christian Faith:
- Ancient Faith Ministries - Orthodox Christian resources, podcasts, and books
https://www.ancientfaith.com
Email: info@ancientfaith.com
Phone: 1-219-728-2216 - Orthodox Church in America - Find Orthodox parishes and learn about the faith
https://www.oca.org
Email: info@oca.org
Phone: 1-516-922-0550 - Catholic Answers - Resources on traditional Catholic faith and practice
https://www.catholic.com
Email: info@catholic.com
Phone: 1-619-387-7200 - The Gospel Coalition - Reformed evangelical resources on biblical Christianity
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org
Email: info@thegospelcoalition.org
