{"id":27982,"date":"2026-02-15T16:24:40","date_gmt":"2026-02-15T21:24:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/htgocorlando.org\/stag\/?page_id=27982"},"modified":"2026-02-16T16:31:58","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T21:31:58","slug":"orthodox-living-guidelines","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/htgocorlando.org\/stag\/orthodox-living-guidelines\/","title":{"rendered":"Orthodox Living Guidelines"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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What Is the Church?<\/span><\/h2>

The Church is a treasury \u2014 a storehouse of centuries of accumulated experience and wisdom in man\u2019s attempt to relate to God and to other people. The heritage of the Church stretches back to Moses, David, Jesus, and the Apostles, and comes down to us today. Those of us who cherish this Christian heritage have an obligation to pass it on to future generations.<\/span><\/p>

To be a Christian means to be part of the Church. To ignore the Church or to use it only for occasional ceremonies means that we have greatly misunderstood its purpose.<\/span><\/p>

Ecclesiastical Membership<\/span><\/h2>

The fulfillment of our commitment to the Church includes our commitment to live within the canonical standards that the Church has established as normative for the life of every Orthodox Christian. Such standards are not intended as limits upon our freedom, but rather constitute the very basis for the communal life of the Orthodox Church.<\/span><\/p>

This means that we:<\/span><\/p>

  • Have been baptized in the name of the Holy Trinity<\/span><\/p><\/li>

  • Have been confirmed (chrismated) in the Eastern Orthodox Christian Church<\/span><\/p><\/li>

  • Have had our marriage blessed in the Eastern Orthodox Church by a canonical Orthodox priest<\/span><\/p><\/li>

  • Participate regularly in the Holy Sacraments of Confession, Holy Communion, and Holy Unction, and attend faithfully the Divine Liturgy as well as the other services of the Church<\/span><\/p><\/li>

  • Observe the prescribed fast days in a proper manner, as the tradition of the Church teaches<\/span><\/p><\/li><\/ul>

    Church Membership<\/span><\/h2>

    The Special Regulations and Uniform Parish Regulations of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America define membership as follows:<\/span><\/p>

    \u201cAny person, eighteen years of age or older, who was baptized according to the rites of the Church, or who was received into the Church through chrismation, who lives according to the faith and canons of the Church, who has met his or her stewardship obligation (part of which is to meet his or her stewardship financial obligation to the parish), and abides by the regulations herein and the by-laws of the parish \u2014 except that a person under twenty-one shall not serve on the parish council when such service is contrary to local law.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>

    The responsibilities of membership may be divided into three distinct areas of commitment to Christ and to His Church:<\/span><\/p>

    1. Liturgical (worship) fulfillment<\/span><\/p><\/li>

    2. Stewardship fulfillment<\/span><\/p><\/li>

    3. Canonical fulfillment<\/span><\/p><\/li><\/ol>

      To be a \u201cmember in good standing,\u201d each person must fulfill all three aspects of this commitment.<\/span><\/p>

      Liturgical Commitment<\/span><\/h2>

      The fulfillment of our liturgical commitment requires regular participation in the services and sacraments of the Church. Without such participation in the Church\u2019s life, one cannot be a Christian in any meaningful sense.<\/span><\/p>

      As our Lord said:<\/span><\/p>

      \u201cUnless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you\u2026 he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.\u201d<\/span>
      \u2014 John 6:54, 56<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>

      It is therefore essential that each person commit to frequent participation in the Holy Eucharist (Communion) and regular participation in the Sacrament of Confession. Questions regarding participation in these sacraments should be referred to Fr. Constantine or to one\u2019s own spiritual father.<\/span><\/p>

      Each person should also participate in other services of the Church, including:<\/span><\/p>