Abstract
After a brief overview of the history of the Serbian Orthodox Church, the article documents the dramatic changes in the last two decades that resulted in the unforeseen political, social and spiritual vigour the Serbian Orthodox Church currently enjoys. The images of vitality and growth, however, conceal problems and dilemmas which they bring along. Several of these are singled out, such as the clericalisation and centralisation of decision making, lack of transparency and the worrying neglect of many important spheres of church praxis – for example, education. The article concludes that the bitter division between conservatives and reformers among bishops will continue to haunt the church as it faces theserious challenges that lie ahead in relation to its mission. Furthermore, in theatmosphere of fragile peace in former Yugoslavia, all churches, including the Serbian Orthodox Church, need to dissociate themselves from extreme nationalism in their ranks before any attempts at inter-confessional dialogue and peace building can make sense.
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