Discussion Questions:

1. Fr. Luke says one of the greatest dangers in our churches today is parochialism — limiting the vision of God. What does parochialism look like in a Greek Orthodox parish specifically, and have you seen any of those patterns in your own experience?
2. He draws a line from Abraham’s call (“I will bless you so that you will be a blessing”) through Israel’s repeated failure to share that blessing with the nations. Where do you see Orthodox Christians today remembering the blessing but forgetting the responsibility?
3. Fr. Luke says the two central characteristics of authentic evangelism are love and freedom — not duty, not guilt, not pressure. What would it look like for your everyday interactions with neighbors, coworkers, or family to reflect those two qualities rather than anxiety about “doing evangelism right”?
4. He challenges parishes to have budget line items for local, national, and global missions simultaneously — not one before the other. How does your parish currently think about its responsibility beyond its own membership, and what does that say about its sense of identity?
5. Fr. Luke quotes Archbishop Anastasios: “A Church without mission is a contradiction in terms.” That’s a strong statement. How does it land when you hold it up against what most of us assume a healthy parish looks like day to day?

For Our Parish: Fr. Luke says a dying church turns inward and a healthy church reaches outward simultaneously at every level. What is one concrete step — however small — our parish could take this year to move from a primarily inward focus toward a more simultaneous local, national, or global witness?