Be the Church!

By Priest Eric George Tosi

Chairman of the Department of Evangelization

Orthodox Church in America

It is interesting to see what people’s perceptions of evangelism and mission are. So often they are mixed up with marketing, in other words, lets advertise to get a mission or church going. When looking at the modern American experience, one can certainly see why this may be the perception. You drive down the road and see huge billboards advertising about a new church. You listen to the radio and hear how you can be saved. You flip on the television and you can find every brand of Christianity or belief. But is it really worth it? Is this really how to bring people to salvation?

We as Orthodox would say no. While there may be a stream of thought among these groups that all you have to do is bring people to accept Jesus Christ, the reality is much more. In fact, many of these groups have a revolving door, as many people that come in go out on the other side. This is not evangelism, this is marketing. As marketing theory implies, all you need are new customers to buy your product and keep sales high. Is this not what is being done?

But the Orthodox Church takes a completely different view on salvation and therefore on evangelism. Salvation is not an event but a process, a life-long process. If it is such a long process then “sales” will not be high and certainly marketing is not the method. Rather we must take a longer and perhaps larger view. We don’t market the Church, we are the Church. And to bring people to the Church, we must be the Church.

Sound simplistic? It is and it isn’t. We have the wonderful gift of being giving all we need to be the Church. We have had the wonderful experience of over 2000 years of experience being handed to us. We have had the numerous saints and teachers to guide and strengthen us. And of course, the Scriptures, the Liturgy and all of Holy Tradition behind us. That is more than enough. But putting that into practice, that is another story. A mission grows simply by being the Church, by living the life of the Church, by being a part of the Church. We just need to put that into practice.

It is amazing that some of our smallest missions have some of the fullest liturgical life. They celebrate the daily services. They teach and preach and take care of each other. They live that same life that we often find recounted in the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles of St. Paul. They live the life as a community gathered together in worship and this is precisely the definition of a church. So simply put, this is what we all need to do in our own parishes (whether a small mission or a established parish).

What happens in these parishes is quite remarkable. It lives. You can see it the moment you walk in and there is no doubt as to what is going on. And as people see this, they also want to be a part of it. And when they want to be a part of it, it changes them. And when people are changed they are walking the path of salvation. Now that is evangelism.

But that does not mean that you abandon the community and retreat into small cliques. Instead it means that there is a real engagement with people, with souls. It means that people need to know where to find you and when they do, they are drawn in by love. It means that they come home in a true way and discover Christ. Reaching out is not marketing but rather apostleship. Apostleship means precisely to be “sent out” to bring the Gospel of Christ to the world. Marketing means making people buy something and we are not here to make people buy anything, no matter how good it might be. So we must all be evangelists and apostles. This grows a mission and builds a church.

Nonetheless, we can do certain things to help people discover us and to grow. Here are a few suggestions that have worked quite successfully in missions and parishes. These five simple rules can ensure that we are evangelism and not marketing.

1. Make sure people can find you. We can’t show our light to the world if we hide it under a bushel. So make sure they can find you. Be in the Yellow Pages, put events in the local paper, use the internet, make sure you have a phone with a answering machine. Check those messages often and answer every call that comes in. Send out a monthly newsletter. Have a sign on the Church and directions posted. You would be surprised how many missions forget these simple ways to get people to them. Why do you think there were crosses and cupolas on the churches (theological reasons aside)? It was so people knew where the church was, so they could find it. We need to mark our churches as well both physically and figuratively. Help people find them.

2. Do the services. It is that simple, we have a calendar, we have a liturgical cycle, now do it. How often would someone come by the Church looking for comfort, for answers, for prayer and the doors are locked and no one is around. We just sent away an empty soul. These services are there precisely to fill those souls. Think of how many people came the Church simply because the Liturgy spoke to them. It is supposed to....that is the point. And if we don’t do the services, the Church doesn’t speak! The most powerful evangelizing tool we have is the Liturgy. It is all there, everything we need, everything we believe, everything to answer our questions. So present this gift back to the world as it was given to us by God to speak to the world.

3. First Impressions. In Orthodoxy, what you see is what you get. Our theology is all around us and so we must always present ourselves with the best. And what people see when they walk in will be critical. It doesn’t matter if it is a glorious cathedral or a s rented room. The Church is there in its fullness. But it does matter as to what they see. Is everything clean and neat and in order? Is everything done with reverence and piety? Is the space used properly? Is it theologically correct? Will people know they are in a church when they walk in? Even the most modest places can become as glorious as Hagia Sophia if we “draw near in Faith”. So we must put our best foot forward so that when people ask “What do you believe?” We simply say, pointing “this.”

4. Bring it home. People need to learn and you cannot bombard them with material when they walk in. They will turn around and walk out. It is too much and they are already reeling from a full Liturgical experience. So have brochures, pamphlets, and books available for them to take home. Then they can begin their journey in a comfortable place. Encourage questions and answer them simply. Make sure they have a good interaction with the rest of the parish so that they will feel comfortable even thought they may not understand. Be friendly, outgoing, helpful and loving. Isn’t that what we all want...so let us do the same thing. I remember a great saying a fellow priest told me....”We are not their for their salvation....they are here for our salvation.” Remember that whenever someone walks through the front door.

5. Welcome back. The number one thing a people look for in a Church....a home. That simple. Home is some place you feel welcome and want to go back to. The parish must be a home since in effect it is our only true home on earth. When people come back, it means they are finding a home, a place of refuge, a retreat, a place of family. So we must always welcome them home and back home....again and again. So welcome them back when they do come again. Sometimes it may take weeks or months as they are still processing what they have seen. It took courage for them to come there in the first place, but sometimes it takes more courage for them to return because it is the beginning of a commitment. Don’t overwhelm them when they return but great them joyously and gently. They will find their way. But talk to them, remember them and welcome them. Then they know they have come home.

Five simple rules. But really they come to the heart of evangelism. They bring people to Christ and to the Church. Now that is not marketing but being the Church. And yet the impact is greater and more lasting because it is based around salvation. Now go outside of your parish and look in....does it have these five simple elements? Be critical and look around. Observe what goes on every service. Notice the details and the spirit. And implement small changes. A parish that is truly One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic is a Church. And the Church is where we walk the path to salvation. Now be the Church!