The article explores two important areas of the mid-19th-century church reform: the transformation of parish and parish life, as well as the development of spiritual education. The article analyzes the main provisions of the legal acts that guided the reform process. It emphasizes the social significance of the church reform and its alignment with the overall course of Alexander II's "Great Reforms." It is concluded that the church reform, which included several directions, ultimately remained incomplete, as it did not lead to the planned results and did not contribute to a serious strengthening of the church's position in society.