How to join The Orthodox Christian Church
Come and see.
What’s stopping you?
Many people ask what steps they must perform in order to qualify for membership in the Orthodox Church. But the Church is not a mechanism nor a club. It is none other than direct communion - a living relationship - with God. There is nothing stopping us from beginning to live the life of an Orthodox Christian today.
Begin to make the Church the center of your life. Come to every service and feast day possible. Attend our social events. Find opportunities to serve. Change your work/life schedule around the Church calendar.
Begin reading the Bible everyday. Some have found this order helpful: the 4 Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, the Catholic Epistles, Genesis and Exodus, then return to the Gospels again, and then the Epistles of St. Paul. Include daily reading of the Psalms.
Begin and end each day with prayer. There are plenty of Orthodox prayer books available. But for now, just speak to God the way you know how.
When you’re ready, attend the Catechism classes for at least one full cycle. We typically meet beginning in the fall on Saturday afternoons paired with the service of Great Vespers. During Lent the class shifts to Wednesday evenings.
From here, joining the Church is dependent upon a conversation between you and the priest. Here is a little more to consider…
Like a marriage…
First, the courtship or inquiring phase.
An inquirer may be exploring other churches, spiritual traditions, or religions at the same time they are inquiring about the Orthodox Church. This is a time of exploration and inspection, for reading, attending classes, and asking questions.
The second phase is like an engagement.
A person in this stage is enrolled through prayer into what is called the catechumenate and becomes a catechumen or, an official learner. When someone becomes a catechumen, they don’t have all the answers, yet they declare they want no other love, no other saving relationship, than Christ and His Church, and they believe it is best found in the Orthodox Christian Church.
From there, a catechumen begins the process of ceasing formal participation in all (yes all) other churches, religions, services, practices, rites, rituals, and spirituality - for the rest of their life - in order to make room for the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. A catechumen begins to live as if they are an Orthodox Christian through consistent participation in a life of prayer, and in the rhythms of the Christian life.
The third and final phase is like the marriage.
This is when a catechumen who was once an inquirer is officially received into The Orthodox Church by way of the sacraments of baptism and chrismation. This is when the real work begins, the ongoing physical participation in God’s Body, His Church.
The whole process is intentionally not short or urgent.
We are not trying to sell you anything. We promise to give the best answers we can, or to point you to the best resources we know. But we will not try to convince or coerce. God’s Church is the free gift that costs everything. The ancient practice was a learning period of at least 3 years.
The best way to learn is to come and see.
A quick note: A recent phenomenon has begun where someone on their own decides to identify as an Orthodox Christian without following the actual steps of initiation proper to the Orthodox Tradition. This may make someone feel like they are part of the community, but it does not equate to actual membership in the Orthodox Church, in the Body of Christ. Membership in Christ’s Church has always involved instruction by a qualified teacher, and ritual participation in the Holy Spirit by way of the sacraments: the cleansing of sin with confession, baptism in water, and the receiving of communion. Read more about this here.
Ready?
