By Father Brendan Pelphrey This raises the question how we understand ourselves as American Orthodox. Many Orthodox Christians in America today want to see a self-ruling, or autonomous, American Orthodox Church. Others, however have consistently referred to Orthodox churches in America as “diaspora”—not an American Church, but a collection of missions sent out from “mother” churches overseas. When American converts to Orthodoxy hear the language of “diaspora,” it can seem very strange. Those of us