4 min read 808 words Updated Apr 22, 2026 Created Apr 22, 2026

Becoming Orthodox — Journey Notes

Following the Divine Liturgy

The parish may not follow the GOA Digital Chant Stand (DCS) exactly. This is common because:

  • Many parishes abbreviate Orthros/Matins or omit certain hymns
  • The choir director/chanter may follow a slightly different typikon tradition
  • Different musical settings, English vs. Greek proportions, or simplified chant modes
  • The local metropolis may have specific pastoral guidelines

How to Follow Along

  • Ask the choir director, chanter, or priest what order they follow
  • Check for parish bulletins/handouts listing the day's hymns and readings
  • The Divine Liturgy itself is mostly fixed — changeable parts are mainly: antiphons, apolytikia, kontakion, Epistle & Gospel readings, megalynarion (feast days)
  • The DCS is still useful for knowing the day's troparia, readings, and saints
  • A red service book (pew book) has all the fixed parts

Explorer's Class

An Explorer's Class (also called Inquirer's Class or Orthodoxy 101) is a low-pressure introductory course covering:

  • Basic beliefs (Creed, Trinity, Christology)
  • Worship & Liturgy — why Orthodox worship looks the way it does
  • The Sacraments (Baptism, Chrismation, Eucharist, Confession, etc.)
  • Church history (Apostolic origins, Councils, Great Schism)
  • Icons, Saints, & Theotokos
  • Daily spiritual life (prayer, fasting, Church calendar)

Path to Reception

  1. Explorer/Inquirer — learning, asking questions, no commitment required
  2. Catechumen — formal enrollment with a short prayer service, intentional catechesis
  3. Reception into the Church — through Baptism and/or Chrismation

The move from Explorer to Catechumen is a deliberate decision made in conversation with the priest. Reception often happens at a liturgically significant time (Pascha is traditional, but not required).

GOA Administrative Guidelines — Key Points

Source: Administrative Guidelines for the Mysteries of Baptism and Chrismation (Revised 10/2005)

How Converts Are Received (Section IX)

A previous baptism is accepted by oikonomia if it was:

  1. In water
  2. In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit
  3. By a church/denomination that believes in the Most Holy Trinity

Denominations — Baptism Accepted (Chrismation only)

Anglican, Episcopal, Assembly of God, Baptist, Church of the Brethren, Lutheran, Methodist, Moravian, Non-Chalcedonian Orthodox, Old Catholic, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, United Church of Christ

Denominations — Baptism NOT Accepted (full Baptism + Chrismation required)

Anabaptist/Mennonite, Christian Scientist, Disciples of Christ, Jehovah's Witness, Mormon, Quaker, Salvation Army, Seventh Day Adventist, Swedenborgian, Unitarian

Must be an Orthodox Christian in good standing. Cannot be a sponsor if they:

  • Don't belong to a parish
  • Are under 12
  • Belong to a parish not in communion with GOA
  • Are married but not married in the Orthodox Church
  • Have been excommunicated
  • Are clergy (Deacon, Priest, Metropolitan)

Forbidden Periods for Baptism/Chrismation

  • Holy Week, Pascha, Dec 25 - Jan 6, Feast Days of the Lord and Theotokos

Marriage After Reception

  • Couples previously married outside the Church must be married according to the Orthodox rite after reception (can be a private ceremony)

My Situation — Baptism Verification

  • Baptized Baptist — on the accepted list, so reception would be through Chrismation only
  • Baptist churches practice Trinitarian baptism by immersion as standard denominational practice
  • Baptism was approximately 30 years ago

Proof of Baptism

The priest needs to be satisfied the baptism was done properly. Options:

  1. Baptismal certificate from the Baptist church (preferred) — contact the church or Baptist association/convention for records
  2. Witness testimony — father was a deacon at the church and was present at the baptism
  3. Personal account — remember the church name, location, and approximate date

Action Items

  • Try to obtain baptismal certificate from the Baptist church
  • If church closed, check if Baptist association/convention kept records
  • Write down: church name, city, approximate date/year, pastor's name if remembered
  • Have father available to speak with the priest as a witness
  • Attend Explorer's Class
  • Discuss baptismal history with the priest early in the process

The Service of Chrismation (What to Expect)

The service for receiving converts includes:

  1. Opening prayers — "Blessed is the Kingdom...", Trisagion, Our Father
  2. Psalm 50 (51 in Western numbering) — the great penitential psalm
  3. Confession of Faith — public profession leaving the former denomination, reciting the Nicene Creed (without Filioque), accepting the Seven Ecumenical Councils
  4. Chrismation — anointing with Holy Chrism on forehead, eyes, nose, mouth, ears, chest, hands, and feet: "The seal of the Gift of the Holy Spirit. Amen."
  5. Tonsure — small cross-shaped cutting of hair
  6. Litany and Dismissal — invoking the patron saint given to the convert

The service may immediately precede or follow the Divine Liturgy but is not served during it.