This paper examines the development of conciliar practices from diocesan congresses in the Riga diocese to the councils of the autonomous Orthodox Church in independent Estonia. During the Imperial era, these congresses primarily represented the corporate interests of the clergy (exception was the 1905 Riga council, which included both lower clergy and laypeople). After the Empire’s dissolution, ecclesial administration began to follow the model set by the Moscow Council of 1917-1918, which established three levels of conciliarity: parish, diocese, and autonomous church. This paper critically evaluates the emerging paradigm of conciliar church governance in Orthodox theology and practice during the first half of the 20th century, with particular attention to conflicts between differing ecclesial models.
