Lo
#0
Think of it, less than 1% of USA\'s population is Orthodox. Orthodoxy is one of the \\"best kept secrets\\" I always hear. That\'s horrible when you think of it. Why can protestants go after traditionally Orthodox countries and those same countries not send missionaries to a place where freedom of religion is actually accepted?
Pros: America is lacking in Orthodox education, other countries that have many Orthodox schools which could provide many servants of Christ. America\'s current ability to not only create priests but for those established priests to reach out is limited. Christ himself would go after the one lost sheep.
Cons for this: Who would pay? Who would the missionaries report to and what would be the limits to their duties? Would they just be limited to church functions or actually getting out in little heeded communities? Can missionaries even get a Visa? (never heard of a missions visa) If a country ever wants a true united universally recognized autocephalous status, shouldn\'t they step up to the plate and minister to their own people.
Of course this discussion could apply to any country, but for simplicity sake I chose America. Discuss
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Lo
#18
It seems like missions work boils down to one of three goals in the modern incarnation as we see it now:
Teaching, preaching, and administrative.
I still think we as a Orthodox community are sorely lacking on all three. I see other countries, that have several seminaries / colleges overflowing with people who are mature and educated in the faith.
See a problem, find a solution I say. So in that light I still think a lot of the education that we are lacking could be accomplished by those who are taught proper Orthodoxy.
This would free up our priests, monastics, lay leaders for the other two goals. How could this not be a good thing?
Again I\'m just biased I know. I just know too many Orthodox who don\'t know much about Orthodoxy. Example, I had a friend get denied Sunday off at work for our Easter because she didn\'t know why ours is different. Sounded like a scam to her boss. A little education would have gone a long way.
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RB
#19
I agree that having members of the body of Christ working to improve the educational and maturity level of the other members is a good goal. So before we ask the question of what should those members do to help the other members, it would be good to ask, what does an educated, mature Orthodox Christian look like?
IMHO I think the educated, mature Orthodox Christian looks like a servant of Christ, striving to martyrdom. He or she is always moving out of his or her comfort zone, not for the sake of being uncomfortable, but for the sake of love. Love is the epitome of education and maturity for us, IMO.
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Andrew Colias
#20
I am of the opinion that we should not \\"proselytize\\" with \\"missionaries.\\" In the modern sense that translates as hunting down potential converts and attempting to engage them in religious debate, with the purpose of marketing one\'s own faith. That has seldom been the Orthodox method, which is just as well for it often backfires. Instead, throughout the life of the Church, we have preferred merely being present, sharing our faith. Here in America, we are indeed present; however, we do little actual sharing. We should invite, not pursue.
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Νικόλαος Slayton
#21
Someone ran out of gas infront of the church last week after vespers and was trying to get help. I said I\'d get him some gas and be back. I went and got him a gallon of gas and put it in his car for him. He said \\"What do I owe you?\\" I said \\"Come here Sunday and don\'t worry about the money.\\" I hope that works:P.
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Misha Sarov
#22
[url=http://misha.pblogs.gr/2008/07/298681.html]The ascetics are the only missionaries of Orthodoxy.[/url]
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Gordie Thomas
#24
johnchan wrote:
I think the biggest problem with protestant missions is that there is very seldom a person who is truly called to the work.
The original missionaries were chosen by our Lord. They were sent out by His direction. Likewise, it was the Church who chose Paul and Barnabas to go out. Similarly, it was the Church who decided Stephen and the others would serve as deacons.
Mission agencies can screen people (sift them, if you will...) but that's not being called to the work.
I agree, John. My understanding is that most jurisdictions here in America came here for the sake of the immigrant Orthodox.
However, Russia specifically sent missionaries to Alaska, and from those missionaries we now have ROCOR, OCA, RUSSIAN (MP) and others (?) That\'s not to say that we can\'t all be as a missionary in our everyday life.
However, we are a church of authority, and if someone really wants to look for guidance as to expanding Orthodox missions in America, then I\'d say we should first look to those churches who point towards Saint Innocent as first missionary.
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WT
#25
MariaM wrote:
Living the Christian life IS missionary work, at least in the Orthodox tradition.
Exactly. So when you \\"send missionaries\\" you are sending people that are of a given faith that will spread it. All Orthodox ARE missionaries, but it is not BEING a missionary. Please don\'t confuse technical and romantic language with common usage. When we say \\"missionary\\", we mean a person who goes to a place that is not his current home (usually) and spreads Orthodoxy. And yes, I think America needs missionaries very much. We can probably get them from America, though, so we don\'t NEED other countries help. It would be nice, though.
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dmitri mosier
#26
Somsoc wrote:
Think of it, less than 1% of USA's population is Orthodox. Orthodoxy is one of the \"best kept secrets\" I always hear.
If a (tonsured) reader lives \\"out in the boonies\\" as you do, he should (if his bishop allows) wear the cassock at all times outside of church. That\'s one way to get people to find out about the church. A mode of dress so unusual is bound to elicit questions from people on the street!
\\"Oh, this little thing? It\'s a cassock....I\'m a reader in the Orthodox Church......\\" and go from there.
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RR
#27
I don\'t know if missionaries per se are what is needed as much as more outreach and evangelism. Much of America does not know Orthodoxy in large part because we as Orthodox have done little to make Orthodoxy known to America. We have kept the light of Christ hidden as opposed to doing as Christ, and the Fathers have taught us and put that light on a candlestick for others to see.
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Kira Meholick
#23
Russell, thanks for hitting the nail on the head!!!
The question now is: where do we go from here?
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DD
#28
How does the Catholic Church spread their faith in America? Do they have missionaries here in the states? I know the Christian Scientist have their Reading Rooms. Maybe that is what the Orthodox Church needs to do. That way people passing by can inquire about the Orthodox Church.
Dave
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RR
#29
In Colorado Springs there is a coffe house called Agia Sophia that is owned and ran by Orthodox people. It has won many awards(amazing considering Co. Springs is a hot bed of \\"evengelical\\" activity. It is one of the best examples of outreach I\'ve seen. Also here in Denver the Cathedral\'s book store is sponsering a lecture series that features Orthodox writers yet it is being offered and opened to any who would like to attend. I think things like this are were we go when it comes to reaching out and sharing Orthodoxy with the wider world.
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DD
#30
Russell wrote:
In Colorado Springs there is a coffe house called Agia Sophia that is owned and ran by Orthodox people. It has won many awards(amazing considering Co. Springs is a hot bed of \"evengelical\" activity. It is one of the best examples of outreach I've seen. Also here in Denver the Cathedral's book store is sponsering a lecture series that features Orthodox writers yet it is being offered and opened to any who would like to attend. I think things like this are were we go when it comes to reaching out and sharing Orthodoxy with the wider world.
Agreed. Also, while not Orthodox, the Catholic Church has a Catholic Information Center, in Washington, DC. Maybe some Orthodox Christians can create the same thing in many cities in North America.
Dave
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FS
#31
YES! America do need ORTHODOX Missionaries here. We have a very Holy faith that needs to be spread here America.
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Donna McGregor Brinkley
#32
Paraskeva, you certainly are a missionary and Evangelist!(: By adopting children, and birthing children, and teaching them the faith...you are a wonderful missionary. And so are all loving Orthodox parents! Our children are not missionaries \\"yet\\", but rather, our most important mission field! And there\'s plenty of martyrdom in being a parent! Oh why, didn\'t someone warn me!ha (this mission field seems much too difficult today of all days!)
Anyway, if Orthodox churches would work on \\"keeping their kids\\" ...it would help. I have a friend who was raised Orthodox...who won\'t go to her church, cause she doesn\'t understand the language spoken there...her parents and grandparents do, but that doesn\'t help her and her \\"now grown child\\" who was never raised in the church.
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