The '''Standing Conference of the Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas''' (SCOBA) is an organization founded in 1960 and designed to help cooperation among the several Orthodox Christian [[jurisdiction]]s to be found in the Americas. It acts as a clearinghouse for educational, charitable, and missionary work in the Americas. Its member hierarchs meet semi-annually for discussion and decisions on inter-Orthodox and ecumenical matters, to review the work of its commissions and dialogues, and to plan future events.
The members of SCOBA are the represented by [[archbishop]]s, [[metropolitan]]s, and [[bishop]]s of the [[Orthodox Church]]es in North and South America that are in communion with the four ancient Orthodox [[Patriarchate]]s of [[Church of Constantinople|Constantinople]], [[Church of Antioch|Antioch]], [[Church of Alexandria|Alexandria]], and [[Church of Jerusalem|Jerusalem]], and those that are in communion with them. A number of the member jurisdictions are canonically subject to the [[Church of Constantinople]]. Not all jurisdictions on American soil which are in communion with these patriarchates are also members of SCOBA (i.e., the churches in the US belonging to the [[Church of Jerusalem]] and the [[Church of Russia]]).
In November of 1994, at the famous [[Ligonier meeting]] at the [[Antiochian Village]] in Ligonier, Pennsylvania, the hierarchs of SCOBA voted together in terms of forming an Orthodox Church of America, a single [[holy synod]] and church administration for all Orthodox Christians living in America, declaring themselves no longer to be a [[diaspora]] but rather a missionary church. The outcome of that meeting has yet to come to fruition.