If they fail in their service and prove themselves unworthy, they may be challenged by the lay people and by procedures clearly indicated in church laws they may be removed from their ministry. There are many examples in Orthodox Church history when lay people have preserved the Christian Faith in opposition to unworthy hierarchs.

The mandate for Christian ministry has been given to us by our Lord through his words spoken to the eleven disciples who met him in Galilee before he ascended unto the Father: “Go, therefore, make disciples of all nations; baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all the commands I …

The hidden ministry of the people needs to be brought into the light. In practice, the church rewards institutional activities and gives little attention to men’s and women’s daily ministry in their workplaces, in their homes and during times of recreation. Church-related ministries are known, recognized, supported, encouraged. Yet there are many works of ministry in the world that, if…

The Orthodox Church in America. The Mission of The Orthodox Church in America (OCA), the local autocephalous Orthodox Christian Church, is to be faithful in fulfilling the commandment of Christ to “Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…”

Jun 7, 2024 · The unique, in-person formative experience that is offered by the Certificate Program cannot be overlooked. The ability for students to take part in a cohort that celebrates the services together, attends classes together, and spends time in fellowship is indispensable for future ministry of those students in parishes of our Church.”

The Orthodox Church in America. The Mission of The Orthodox Church in America (OCA), the local autocephalous Orthodox Christian Church, is to be faithful in fulfilling the commandment of Christ to “Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…”

Is God happy when He sends people out into a field ripe for the harvest and they come back empty-handed? Did you ever wonder why many visitors who come to your parish once, do not come back? It might surprise us to find that the reason visitors do not return is not because of their attitude, but because of our parish’s attitude toward them, and possibly, my attitude in particular. The…

Feb 28, 2012 · It is indeed a paradox for from both sides, the clerical and the lay, comes the same complaint: Priests and laymen alike proclaim that their respective rights are denied, their responsibilities and possibilities of action limited. If the priest speaks sometimes of the lay “tyrannies”, the laity denounce the “bossism” of the priest.

Twenty years ago, a priest had a dream: to build a center to help the emotionally handicapped, the retarded, the alcoholic, parolees, and others to help themselves and to learn to function better in society and on their own. This was the beginning of the Eastern Orthodox Foundation (EOF). Its founder. Father George Hnatko, a Ukrainian Orthodox priest, had in …

The Orthodox Church in America. The Mission of The Orthodox Church in America (OCA), the local autocephalous Orthodox Christian Church, is to be faithful in fulfilling the commandment of Christ to “Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…”