Orthodox evangelism is not like what passes for evangelism in the various Christian sects. We understand that we do not bring anyone to the Church. That is the job of the Holy Spirit. Our job is to be ready to receive and welcome each inquirer as the prepare to come home to Holy Orthodoxy! How do we do that?
First, we do that by preparing ourselves by living out the faith. We must be regular attendees and communicants in the parish. We must be repentant, regularly avail ourselves of Holy Confession, and be working out our salvation.
Second, we must be prepared when God brings someone to the door of our Church. Our temple must be beautiful and clean. We must be prepared to welcome all our visitors, whether they look like us, are dressed appropriately or know anything at all about Orthodoxy. Smiles, words of welcome and introductions are always in order. If they don’t know anything about the service, hand them a service book. We should always be striving to improve our services and our music! Part of being ready for visitors means having frequent services. Orthodoxy is not a Sunday only faith! Vespers, festal liturgies and even additional daily services should be our goal if we have the people to attend! If God sends someone to us on a Tuesday, will we be there?
Third we must visibly witness for our faith. I’m not talking about streetcorner preaching! I’m talking about things like praying before meals in public, making the sign of the cross, wearing the cross, and serving the community. And we should never hesitate to invite family, friends, or acquaintances to attend with us. Statistics show that most people who join a church do so after being invited by a current member. You have found the fullness of the faith in Orthodoxy; share it with those you love!
From the bulletin of Holy Annunciation Orthodox Church
