'''''Oikonomia''Economy''' , from the Greek οἰκονομία (also spelled '''oikonomeia''', '''economia''' or '''economy'oikonomia'') literally means for "household management," the "law of the house," or "house building," and refers primarily to two related concepts in the Orthodox Church—the divine plan for man's salvation and the specific [[bishop|episcopal]] application of the [[canons]] in the life of the Church. The latter usage is a derivation of the former.

Oikonomia Economy is one of two ways of observing applying the Canons canons of the Church, the other is being '''strictness''', from the Greek ακριβεια ('Akriveia'akriveia'' or ), meaning strict adherence (, precision, or exactness). Whereas the application of '''Oikonomia''' economy is generally regarded as being a more flexible application or interpretation of the Canonscanons, the application of '''Akriveia''' strictness is regarded as being a more precise and strict one. '''Pastoral Discretion''' discretion is of key importance in either application.