[citation needed] After the Bolshevik Revolution threw the Russian Orthodox Church and its faithful abroad into chaos, the Syro-Levantine Greek Orthodox Christian faithful in North America, simultaneously shaken by the death of their beloved bishop, Raphael, chose to come under the direct care of the Damascus-based Patriarchate of Antioch.

Due to internal conflicts, however, the Antiochian Orthodox faithful in North America became divided between two archdioceses, those of New York City and Toledo.

Since then, it has experienced significant growth through ongoing evangelization of North Americans and the immigration of Orthodox Christian Arabs from the Middle East.

Six other diocesan bishops assisted the metropolitan in caring for the archdiocese, which is the third largest Orthodox Christian jurisdiction in North America, with 74,600 adherents in the United States, 27,300 of whom are regular church attendees.

[5] The archdiocese is a participating member of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America.

[1]: 45 The archdiocese was a member of the National Council of Churches (NCC) for decades, but its archdiocesan convention voted unanimously on 28 July 2005 to withdraw fully from that body.