Evangelism

By Fr. Eric George Tosi
Co-Chairman of the Department of Evangelization
The Orthodox Church in America

“I was a stranger and you took me in.” Matthew 25:35

Evangelism begins at the front door of the church. It begins when someone, anyone, has gathered the courage to walk through the front door. These people have often been looking, seeking, researching, in fact, finding out whatever they can about a community before they even stepped through the front doors. They had many options but yet chose this particular church to come for worship. For those who are Orthodox, it was because this was the place they felt they can experience Orthodox worship. For a non-Orthodox, it is the hope that they will at last find the truth they have been seeking. In any case, it takes a great amount of courage to walk through those doors; to meet people they have never met, to worship in a manner they may not be accustomed. Yet with the Grace of God and through prayer, they made the decision and they walk into the church.
This is the point of entry and the single greatest opportunity for an Orthodox community to make a connection with this person or family. It is the intersection of their decision and our response. It is the opportunity to connect them, educate them and most importantly to welcome them. But not to overwhelm them. Most people want to slip in, come to service and think about it. They can be overwhelmed and this is (according to surveys) one of the greatest turn-offs when people are looking for a Church home. Remember the Orthodox Church and her services can be overwhelming in themselves to those who have never experienced them.
So how do we welcome them, but not overwhelm them? Well admittedly, it is a fine line. We want them to know that we appreciate them and welcome them to our services but we don’t want to all rush to them and ask their life story. And we don’t want to single them out as to say “Look here is a stranger.” But we also want to help them understand the services, not sit alone during the fellowship hour, or even just wander around. So here are few suggestions on welcoming strangers into the Church.

1. Greeters.
The Greeters ministry is important in the life of a church. It does not need to be sophisticated with badges and formal rules. It simply needs to be a few people who have the gift of speaking with people, making them feel at ease and can guide them to the service books, find them a place to be during the services and be willing to answer any questions they may have. It is that simple. Just make them less uncomfortable and let them know they are welcome in the church to worship. If the greeters can speak different languages, this is also a great help. Every parish has those people who have that wonderful gift of hospitality and they can be asked to serve the Church in this manner. It is also important that they follow-up after the services. Invite them to the fellowship hour and make sure they do not sit by themselves and just talk. They can introduce them to the priest and even have them fill out a visitor card. These simple acts of hospitality can make a great difference when someone walks into the church.

2. Visitor Cards.
This is a very simple and effective way to gather names, connect people to the church community and provide basic information for the priest for follow-up. The visitor cards need to be an easily accessible place that can be clearly seen and be obvious as to where to deposit it. The card needs to be simple, clear and provide some basic information. A basic visitor cards should have name, address, phone number, email address. It should have boxes that can be checked off that ask simple questions such as: Are you Orthodox, First time visiting an Orthodox Church, First time Visiting this specific church, Would you like to talk to a priest, Would you like to be put on the parish mailing list, Would you like to learn more about the Orthodox Church, Would you like to learn more about this parish. These simple questions will give the priest and the parish a good idea of who the person is and start the process of connection. It opens the door for the priest to contact them but also allows them a chance to begin learning about the Church or the parish. It is absolutely important to follow-up. The cards are useless if they are put in a box and never have any connection established. The priest can contact them within a week and just talk to them, introducing himself and inviting them to services and even arrange for a meeting in the near future. The door has been opened with this simple card.

3.Have Material Available.
Many people are coming to the church and really don’t know much about the Faith, the parish or the procedures. So simple tracts and materials are essential in helping with this. They should be placed somewhere in the vestibule where people can easily find them. Do not charge for them but rather have people feel free to take whatever interests them. Do not place anything that is offensive but rather informative. You may also want to have different information on church services in various languages that can help them understand the OCA and when the services are. The best materials are the “Tract Masters” material from OCPC which can be copied on any copying machine. Material from Conciliar Press such as the topical series and brochures are also excellent. They can be displayed in a nice case where people can peruse them at their own leisure. Some parishes also have a visitor’s guide which simply tells about the parish, the history and the building and other helpful information. All of this allows the person to take the material home, look at in their own time and return to ask questions when they are ready.

4. Have a small bookstore/library.
Even the smallest of missions can have a simple bookstore and library. They can stock some standard books on Orthodoxy found from our Seminary Presses and other publishers around the country. There can be some icons and other prayer-related items available for purchase. The great gift of the last thirty years is that there is a plethora of books and material available in English which address so many of the aspects of the Orthodox Faith and can assist those who are seeking to learn about the Faith. Many people come to the Church, see these items for sale and buy them so they can educate themselves and learn about Orthodoxy. So a small investment in some key books on Orthodoxy and making them available for people to purchase is a great opening for seekers.

5. Use the Internet.
The internet, properly utilized, is probably the greatest gift to evangelism to come along in centuries. It is highly effective and very flexible. It allows people access to information on a level never before imagined (both good and bad). But a simple web site with basic information can bring people in on a level never imagined. This has been shown time and again by parishes across the OCA. People are looking for a church so they go on the internet (more than the yellow pages) and research it. Then they find the church they are interested in and visit. A simple web site should have an easy web address, pictures and information on the community, a list of services, a contact page, and directions to the church. More advanced sites have an Orthodox library of articles and information, utilize different languages, links to solid Orthodox web site, as well as donation pages and other information. Remember the utility of a web site is that it is being used. If it is not being viewed then it is just sitting out there in cyber-space. It needs to be frequently updated and managed and guide people both within and without the community to the parish. Remember that every OCA parish has a free access to a web page on the OCA web site It does not cost anything and has all the basic information about a parish. It can be updated as often as need be. Yet there are MANY parishes in the OCA that do not utilize even this simple tool that is made available to them. So as a minimum, update your web page and keep it up to date. Now just a warning on what not to do as these issues have proved to be hurtful to a parish’s evangelism efforts and can turn the people away from the front door, in some cases before they even arrive.

1. Beware of the gatekeeper.
These are the persons who keep people out of the church. For whatever reason they see their job as screening (sometimes unconsciously) those who walk through the door. They judge, question, block and, in some sad cases, kick people out. They need to be controlled and kept from spreading this attitude. They do need to be treated with love and need to learn that they cannot act like this before anybody, not the least of all, strangers. They can be very difficult and sometimes almost impossible to change but they must be or every effort that is done by a parish will come to nothing if people simply walk in and walk out. The parish then gets the reputation of being unfriendly to strangers and no one will ever visit. Remember this simple line....the people that walk through the door, we are not there for their salvation, they are there for ours!

2. Do not single people out.
This is the greatest turn-off. Someone comes to the services and the priest goes to the ambo and says “we have a visitor with us today.” Every eye in the church turns to look at them...and they want to crawl under a rock and hide. It is well intentioned to want to welcome people to the community. But it often backfires because the people do not want to be the focus of attention for a group of people they do not even know. They want to come in and experience the services. They don’t want to be singled out. So be friendly and welcoming but let the visitor engage the community at their own pace. Make them feel comfortable not the focus of attention.

3. No hard sell.
We are not in the sales business. We should not try to convince people to buy something. We need not try to convince them right away that this is the Truth and every thing they have done in the past was a lie. They would not be stepping through the front door if they were not seeking the Truth. They are already feeling conflicting emotions and thoughts about what they are doing, we do not need to add to them. We are the Church and the Truth. That is enough. People will come to recognize that because it is a fact. We do not need to engage in polemical arguments while the person does not even know how to make the sign of the Cross. We will present the Truth by our worship, our actions and our love. We should not judge them nor find fault with them rather love them. In the end that is what our Lord is...love. Let them discover the truth through our Lord Jesus Christ, with guidance from His Church. In the end, that is all we need to be, The Church. So we have nothing to “sell” we have instead a precious gift that is for all who seek it. And those who seek will find it.

4. Welcome families and children.
It is an absolute fact that where there are children, where families bring their children that these same parishes are growing. And these same families who come to church together find other families with children who want to share and grow in the Faith. Families bring in families. Yet some parishes are uncomfortable with children. They see them as distractions and disruptive to the services and prayer. Yet these same parishes are shrinking and dying because they are not replacing themselves. As an old adage says, “a quiet church is a dead church.” Some parishes have the children leave during the services so that the children never really grow in the Faith. We must welcome families and children. Make them a part of the services. Teach them to love the Faith and educate them with love on proper behavior. These children will one day become adults and be supportive of the parish...and where do you think seminarians come from? So bring in the families and have the children be a part of the parish. Open your doors to families because they are ultimately looking for a place where they can raise their children as Christians. Our parishes need to be that place.

5. Do not shut yourselves out.
Unfortunately there are some parishes in the OCA that have no connection with the community that surround them. They have high gates, closed doors and closed people. They can exist for years and not know their neighbors. They kick people out who come on their property because they are afraid of damage or whatever else. They have marginalized themselves through their own actions, language or culture. Yet these same parishes do not understand why no one visits, why they have no one new coming through the front door, why their buildings are the targets. The people come to church, worship and leave right away. Well who wants to be apart of that? And why would anyone in the community want to be a part of that? It is a culture of decay which even affects their outlook. The common saying among them is that “there is no one here anymore.” Yet right outside their door is a huge population looking for Christ. Do not shut yourselves out. Because the whole community is our neighbor. Make them welcome, involve them in the life of the parish, engage and participate in community events. Bring them to an understanding that this is our neighborhood and this church is a part of it. Love your neighbor as yourself. By engaging the community, even those in urban decay, we are saying that we are not abandoning you to the world, but rather are here and have been here and will always be here. People will begin to respect the parish and the community will make it a part of themselves. And this is what we are all called to do, to make Christ’s presence real to those around us.