When people ask me which Orthodox Church I belong to, I like to reply that there is only one Orthodox Church and I happen to be a member and a priest of that one and only Orthodox Church. This usually leads to a confused expression on peoples' faces and, eventually, to another question: "Don't you have many Orthodox Churches, like Greek, Antiochian, Russian, Ukrainian, Serbian, Polish? I thought I heard of them, too".

Yes, we do have Autocephalous (self-ruling) Orthodox Churches, which are administratively independent bodies. They could be divided by territorial, geographical, linguistic, national characteristics; however, they are unanimous in faith, beliefs, doctrines, rules, regulations as well as they all follow, preserve and proclaim the truths brought to us by Jesus Christ, His Apostles, apostolic successors, holy fathers, and Ecumenical councils. Russian Orthodox believe same as Greek Orthodox same as Orthodox Church in America same as any canonical Orthodox body or Church in the world.

This reminds me a story when one hungry man approached the table with the round bread on it and asked, ‘Now, where do I start?' It's all the same from inside out.

Indeed, if you want to taste of the Orthodox Faith and are puzzled which Orthodox Church to ‘try' or which Orthodox Church is better, remember, that no matter where you start, you will get same taste of true faith and same satisfaction for your spiritual needs.
Of course, it would be wiser to ‘try' the Church of your nationality or your (or your parents) country of origin. This would probably help to smooth your assimilation process. However, this recommendation should not be regarded as a rule. There are many 100% English speaking converts and newcomers who are doing just fine in all of the Orthodox Churches regardless of the national title in front.

So, for a newcomer, becoming orthodox in faith and life must be number one priority. Once you are orthodox, you can fully participate in sacramental and spiritual life of any of the local canonical Orthodox Churches. So, visit your neighboring Orthodox Parish and put your lifelong Orthodox experience in action!

Average user rating

   (0 vote)