Listen (1:00:11)

Discussion Questions:

1. Fr. Peter begins with a very basic problem: many Orthodox Christians believe the Scriptures but do not know them well enough to use them naturally when speaking about the faith. How confident are we in explaining Orthodox Christianity from Scripture, and what would help ordinary parishioners become more comfortable doing that?
2. Several of Fr. Peter’s “mistakes” come down to the same problem: “Nobody knows we’re here.” If someone in our community became curious about Christianity or Orthodoxy tomorrow, how likely would they be to encounter our parish through the places they already look for information?
3. Fr. Peter gives examples of parishes using newspapers, radio, public events, and visible locations to make Orthodoxy known. The particular media have changed since this talk was given, but the challenge remains. Where are people in our community actually paying attention today, and are we present there in a way that clearly and positively represents the Orthodox faith?
4. Fr. Peter argues that visitors need to be able to understand what they encounter, especially through the language of worship and the way they are received when they arrive. Where might someone unfamiliar with Orthodoxy experience an unnecessary barrier in our parish before they have had the chance to understand the beauty and meaning of the faith?
5. One of the examples in the talk describes hundreds of people attending a public Orthodox event simply because the churches opened their doors, made themselves visible, and gave people opportunities to experience the beauty, worship, teaching, and people of the Church. What does this suggest about the difference between trying to persuade people into Orthodoxy and simply making it possible for them to encounter it?

For Our Parish: Fr. Peter repeatedly returns to the problem that people cannot respond to an Orthodox parish they cannot find, understand, or enter easily. If we looked at our parish through the eyes of someone in our community who knows almost nothing about Orthodoxy, what is the single biggest obstacle between that person and a meaningful first encounter with our parish, and what could we change to remove it?

Listen (56:31)

Discussion Questions:

1. Fr. Chad begins evangelism with God asking Adam and Eve, “Where are you?” How would our approach to evangelism change if we began less with “How do we get people into church?” and more with learning where people actually are spiritually, relationally, and culturally?
2. The Alaskan missionaries listened carefully to local customs before deciding what could be received, transformed, or left behind. Where might we be assuming that our own parish customs are simply “Orthodox,” when some of them may actually be ethnic, regional, generational, or familiar habits?
3. St. Innocent emphasized local leadership, local formation, and speaking the language of the people. What would “speaking the language of the people” mean in our community today beyond simply using English in the services?
4. Fr. Chad describes many “nones” and “dones” not simply as people who have rejected religion, but as people who are still searching for holiness, meaning, authenticity, and a demanding spiritual life. Where do we see that kind of spiritual hunger in the people around us, and what might they encounter in Orthodox parish life that could speak to it?
5. Fr. Chad warns against making Christianity easier by accommodating it to the surrounding culture, while also insisting that the Gospel must be communicated in forms people can understand. How can a parish become more accessible to seekers without watering down the demands, asceticism, worship, or truth of Orthodox life?

For Our Parish: What is one aspect of our parish life where a visitor or inquirer is currently expected to understand an Orthodox, ethnic, or parish-specific custom without anyone interpreting it for them, and what could we do to make the meaning of that practice intelligible without diminishing or abandoning it?

Listen (46:50)

Discussion Questions:

1. Father Richard begins with the words of Revelation 22:17: “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’” The invitation belongs neither to the Holy Spirit apart from the Church nor to the Church acting on her own. Do you think this describes how the invitation to Christ actually works—and why would the Holy Spirit involve the Church at all?
2. Father Richard argues that many people have heard that Jesus died for their sins so they would not go to hell, but have heard far less about who Jesus Christ is—the eternal Son of God who became man. Does that describe the people you know today, and what is missing when the Cross is preached without a deeper understanding of the person of Christ?
3. The Creed tells us that Christ is “Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made” before it recounts His Incarnation, Crucifixion, and Resurrection. Father Richard believes that order is essential to the Gospel. Do you think it matters whether we begin with who Christ is or what He did? Why?
4. Father Richard says the Church must “show Americans by example the way of righteousness,” and he points especially to the Sermon on the Mount. If someone looked at our parish for evidence of that life, what might they see—and what might be harder to find?
5. Father Richard says, “As much as anything else, evangelism is bringing people to active participation in liturgical worship and prayer.” What must happen for an unfamiliar service to become a genuine invitation into the Church’s life rather than something a visitor merely watches?

For Our Parish: Father Richard proposes three ways for the Church to cooperate with the Holy Spirit: equipping the faithful to communicate the Creed’s answer to “Who is Jesus Christ?”; making the Sermon on the Mount visible in our common life; and helping others enter actively into the Church’s worship and prayer. Which of these is most needed in our parish right now, and what is one concrete step we could take this month?

Listen (1:32:34)

Discussion Questions:

1. The study found that clergy in both “normal” and exemplary parishes understood Orthodox evangelism as “come and see.” The difference was that exemplary parishes put that conviction into practice: they were present in the community, invited people personally, and followed up. What helps a parish move from believing in “come and see” to actually becoming a community that invites people to come and see?
2. Alexei says that when the Faith becomes more meaningful to parishioners, they become more engaged and more eager to share it. Do you think deeper formation naturally leads people to share their faith, or can a parish be spiritually serious and still remain inward-looking? What makes the difference?
3. Alexei compares priests in exemplary parishes to pilots who train more and more “co-pilots,” while Father Barnabas connects that shared responsibility to each person’s “personal Pentecost” at Chrismation. What would have to change—in both clergy and laity—for shared ministry to become normal parish life without diminishing the priest’s pastoral role?
4. One exemplary parish holds a monthly meal for the entire town “without any catch,” hoping to become a center of life in the community. What allows service offered without a catch to become a genuine Christian witness rather than either hidden salesmanship or charity disconnected from the Gospel?
5. The report names a vibrant and full liturgical life as essential, while also saying that its meaning should be clear and newcomers should be able to participate rather than merely watch. How can a parish preserve the fullness and beauty of Orthodox worship while helping someone unfamiliar with it truly enter into the Church’s prayer?

For Our Parish: Alexei identifies four practices that distinguish exemplary parishes: deepening personal faith and witness, cultivating a full and participatory liturgical life, serving the wider community, and making Orthodoxy understandable beyond an ethnic identity. Which one most needs strengthening in our parish, and what is one concrete experiment we could try this month that includes a genuine invitation or follow-up?

Listen (82:46)

Discussion Questions:

1. Fr. Jon uses the parable of the sower to describe the mission field as “good soil,” people with good and honest hearts who may be ready to receive the seed. Where have you seen signs of that kind of openness in people around you, even if they would not yet describe themselves as interested in Orthodoxy?
2. He suggests that many receptive people may already be serious Christians who are looking for worship, doctrine, holiness, continuity, Scripture, and spiritual depth. How does that change the way we think about evangelism, especially toward Protestants, Catholics, or other churchgoing Christians?
3. Fr. Jon reminds us that the mission field includes the people already in the pews. Not because Orthodox Christians have never heard the Gospel, but because many of us still need to be formed, encouraged, and discipled so that we are willing and able to share the Gospel with others. What would help our parishioners become more open, confident, and prepared to do that?
4. He warns against simply advertising the Church instead of preaching Christ. Where is the line between inviting someone into Orthodoxy and making Orthodoxy sound like a product, institution, or religious team we are trying to get them to join?

For Our Parish: Fr. Jon’s question is not only “Where is the mission field?” but “Who has God already prepared?” Looking around our parish, our families, our friendships, and our local community, who or what places may already be looking for the worship, beauty, depth, healing, stability, and life in Christ that Orthodoxy offers?

Listen (51:46)

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?

Listen (3.56)

Discussion Questions:

1. Father Philip notes that St. Philip didn’t answer Nathaniel’s skepticism directly — he just said “come and see.” When someone pushes back on the faith or says something dismissive about Orthodoxy, what feels hard about not defending it and simply inviting instead?
2. Father Philip describes two ways Philip shared his faith: directly, by telling people, and indirectly, by how his life had changed. Which of those feels more natural to you right now, and why do you think that is?
3. St. Philip went straight to someone he knew — and Nathaniel still pushed back. Father Philip’s point is that a personal invitation doesn’t guarantee a warm reception, but we’re still called to extend it. What does it do to your willingness to invite someone when you know they might say no or respond with skepticism?
4. What Nathaniel needed to move from “can anything good come out of Nazareth?” to “you are the Son of God” wasn’t a better argument. It was a direct encounter with Christ. What does that suggest about the role our parish’s worship, beauty, and community might already be playing, even before we say a word?
5. The “come and see” invitation only works if there’s something to come and see. What do you think a visitor or curious neighbor would actually experience if they showed up at our parish on a typical Sunday?

For Our Parish: Father Philip’s whole point is that the invitation is simple — come and see — but it assumes we’re paying attention to who around us might actually be ready to hear it. Who in your life is in a “Nathaniel moment” right now, and what would it look like for our team to help equip parish members to make that kind of low-pressure, personal invitation?

Listen (44:56)

Discussion Questions:

1. Fr. Wayne came into Orthodoxy with a strong evangelism background, but he says the vision for mission actually grew deeper once he became Orthodox — not smaller. Has your own sense of what it means to share the faith changed since you’ve been part of the Church, and in what direction has it moved?
2. St. Barnabas started with 15 people in a drafty rented room with no air conditioning — and a woman visiting for the first time still said the worship felt designed to take people upward. What does that say about our assumptions regarding what a parish actually needs before it can start reaching people? Do we have to have everything in place first?
3. The parish chose St. Barnabas as their patron in part because of his connection to hospitality and encouragement. How does having that kind of intentional identity shape a community over time — and is there something in our own parish’s identity or patron that connects to how we welcome people?
4. Fr. Wayne says one of their core commitments is making sure no visitor or seeker ever feels alone. What does that actually look like in practice on a Sunday morning, and where do you think the gaps tend to be in our own parish?
5. Fr. Wayne mentions that some people in a parish are natural magnets — the kind of person a seeker just gravitates toward. Can you think of anyone like that in your own parish? And if so, is there a way this team could come alongside them or support what they’re already doing naturally?

For Our Parish: Looking at everything discussed in this episode — hospitality, a welcoming coffee hour, natural connectors in the community, a well-rounded parish life — what is one thing we could actually focus on or improve in the next few months that would make our parish more ready to welcome and walk with someone who is curious about the faith?

Listen (15:38)

Discussion Questions:

1. Fr. Patrick makes a point of saying these Christians were not missionaries — they were businesspeople who moved to a new city for work. What does it say about their faith that evangelism happened anyway, without any formal plan or training?
2. Fr. Patrick points out that within half a century, nearly all of southern Gaul was Christian — and nobody planned it that way. The merchants weren’t sent. There was no strategy. It just happened because of who they were. What does that do to the way you think about your own role in evangelism — does it make it feel more possible, or does it raise harder questions?
3. These Christians carried their faith across generations — grandparents who knew Paul, parents who hosted Ignatius, children who planted the Church in Gaul. How do you see that kind of passed-down, lived faith showing up (or not showing up) in Orthodox parish life today?
4. These merchants lived and worked alongside Romans and Celts who had no framework for Christianity at all. What do you think everyday contact with them actually looked like — and what does that bring up for you about your own relationships with people outside the Church?
5. Fr. Patrick says the effective proclamation of the gospel is inseparable from the glory made visible in the lives of believers. If someone who visited our parish once came back and told a friend what they noticed — what do you hope they would say? What are you less sure about?

For Our Parish: Fr. Patrick ends by saying that if we’re celebrating anything other than the glory of Christ made visible in human lives, we’re wasting our time. That’s a sharp thing to say out loud. As a team, what are we actually celebrating — and what would it look like to reorient around that?

Listen (18:51)

Discussion Questions:

1. Fr. Tom mentions that Orthodox Christians in majority-Orthodox countries think very differently about evangelism than we do here in America — how does being a tiny minority in a pluralistic culture shape the way you personally think about sharing your faith?
2. Fr. Tom points out that “evangelism” comes from the Greek word Evangelion — the good news — and that it shows up on our royal doors, enthroned on our altars, announced at every liturgy. Where else do you notice the Church pointing us toward the Gospel, and had you ever connected those things to evangelism before?
3. Fr. Tom describes three very different evangelism efforts at St. Nicholas — a neighborhood community day, a food festival, and an intellectual symposium — and each one is aimed at a completely different type of person. Why do you think he is so intentional about knowing who he is trying to reach before deciding how to reach them?
4. Each of those three efforts has a different front door but the same destination — getting people to encounter the parish and ask “what is this place?” What does that say about how we should think about the events and activities our own parish already hosts?

For Our Parish: Looking at those three evangelism models — neighborhood presence, cultural hospitality, and intellectual engagement — which one does our parish already do in some form, and is there one we are not doing at all that might actually fit who we are and where we are located?