Concept of missionary activity of the Russian Orthodox Church, page 2

The concept of missionary activity of the Russian Orthodox Church

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2.2. Forms and methods of modern missionary activity

Currently, five main forms of missionary activity can be distinguished:

1. Educational mission (churching). This is missionary work with those seeking God, with those preparing for holy Baptism, as well as with those who, having already been baptized, have not received proper instruction in the fundamentals of the Christian faith. The purpose of such a mission is to include pre-declared, catechumens and baptized people into the fullness of church life, to help in the formation of the Orthodox content and style of their life. The introduction of a person into church life begins with testimony and “pre-agreement” (St. Cyril of Jerusalem) and announcement.

Therefore, traditionally, the churching of adult unbaptized people goes through a number of stages: testimony (pre-agreement) - announcement - Baptism - teaching (secret teaching) (Matthew 28, 19)[4].

Certain forms of Orthodox social service acquire enormous importance in the educational mission, for the power of Christian love is clearly manifested in works of mercy.

The educational mission is built on fundamentally important theological foundations, which the beginner must deeply understand and accept:

recognition of the Inspiration of Holy Scripture (2 Tim. 3:16) and acceptance of Holy Tradition in its entirety as a priority in the life of an Orthodox Christian;
convinced entry into the Church as the Body of Christ, of which every member of the community is a part (1 Cor. 12:27), and the one Head is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself;
testimony about the Church as the joy of life in Christ of a new person, clothed in Christ in the Sacrament of Baptism (Gal. 3:27) and receiving in the bosom of the Church grace-filled gifts for the revelation of his personality in its entirety;
the perception of the Eucharist as the center of the life of an Orthodox Christian and the Christocentricity of all his activities;
awareness of the meaning of participation in worship as participation in the Sacrament of Salvation.

The educational mission involves strengthening the missionary orientation of parish life by:

holding special missionary services, at which the service is combined with elements of catechesis, involving the use of liturgical forms approved by the clergy, more accessible to the understanding of the novices;
strengthening those aspects of the sociocultural environment that contribute to the churching of our contemporaries;
involving all clergy and proactive laity, parish catechists to participate in the process of churching new members of the community;
stimulating the creation of specialized missionary centers for the spiritual development of children and youth in large parishes, deaneries and diocesan administrations, which could take direct part in missionary and educational work and organize the process of catechesis.

2. Apologetic mission. This is evidence of the truth of Orthodoxy in comparison with heretical, sectarian, agnostic and other non-Orthodox teachings. The apologetic mission is also aimed at opposing the proselytizing activities of non-Orthodox missionary associations and individual “evangelists”[5].

For the effective work of the apologetic mission, it is recommended to create a structure at the diocesan level that would study the nature and methods of proselytism of religious associations operating in the territory of a particular diocese, identify the degree of their spiritual and, if possible, social danger, and also provide timely, open, qualified and objective information the public is aware of this.

To effectively counter proselytism it is necessary:

to update the apologetic and rehabilitation activities of missionary institutions;
to intensify the educational activities of each parish to prevent the emergence of sects and schisms.

3. Information mission. This is Orthodox testimony to the widest segments of the population through all available media, as well as through the organization of parish libraries and the publication of special missionary literature.

To work effectively in the media you need:

actively explore the information space, using all the variety of the latest information technologies (radio broadcasting, television, Internet and print media);
give the mission in the information space a proactive nature, which involves a quick response to events occurring in society, as well as their timely Christian assessment to form public opinion;
timely make public the facts of ousting Orthodox programs from secular media and other anti-Orthodox information activities;
to create a unified data bank of analytical and reference materials, accessible to any Orthodox missionary.

In the field of publishing Orthodox literature it is necessary:

publication of the works of the Holy Fathers with commentaries in order to educate modern people;
widespread publication of missionary literature intended for enlightenment, education and the formation of a holistic understanding of faith, Orthodox spirituality and the Church;
continuation of the publication of a series of books aimed at new Christians on issues of faith, prayer, Christian lifestyle and church attitude to all pressing problems.

4. External mission.

This is Orthodox testimony among peoples who do not have truly Christian foundations in their national tradition and culture. The external mission is carried out in various ethnocultural and ethnoconfessional conditions. She always plays a significant role in the life of the Ecumenical Orthodox Church; thanks to her, new Local Churches arose.

External mission can also include missionary activity among migrants. Missionaries should note that:

immigrants, having their own religious worldview, can influence Orthodox Christians who are not yet fully established in the faith of Christ, and they must be warned against these temptations;
it is important to direct the mission’s efforts to study the cultural traditions and ideological basis of each specific ethnic group, so that Orthodox education is carried out on the basis of the principle of church reception of all creative components of national cultures; For this, it is necessary to organize special spiritual and educational centers that would take into account the ethnocultural and ethno-religious characteristics of the settlers in their missionary programs;
When settling new territories, settlers bring their culture with them. This can lead to social conflicts, including in the spiritual sphere, which necessitates special missionary work. The nature of this work can be defined as a “dialogue mission”.

In the context of existing ethno-confessional conflicts, the “mission of dialogue” becomes the most important spiritual responsibility of Orthodox Christians, who must avoid any participation in extremist actions.

In this context, the “mission of dialogue” should be seen as a necessary modus operandi for Christians to seek non-violent ways to resolve conflicts in the spirit of love for one’s neighbor. Therefore, the “mission of dialogue” is based on missionary friendliness, openness, and social responsiveness. For her, the personal testimony of the faith of every Christian in everyday life is important.

5. Mission of reconciliation.

In the modern world, in which globalization processes, social stratification, active and mass migrations of people are accompanied by escalation of violence, manifestations of terrorist extremism and ethno-confessional tension, evidence and proclamation of the possibility of reconciliation between people of different nationalities, ages and social groups should become one of the key contents of the Orthodox Church. missions.

The mission of reconciliation should help people realize the possibility and necessity of creating peace at various levels of personal, family and social existence, in accordance with the apostolic call: “Strive to have peace with everyone and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14) .

Orthodox Christians, by their faith, customs and traditions, are tolerant of other cultures and religious beliefs in the everyday and social spheres. The commandment of the Lord Jesus Christ calls us to love our neighbor. And our neighbor is any person, regardless of faith, nationality, gender and social origin. Such an attitude towards one’s neighbor, society and the whole world is an action of Divine grace according to the angelic song: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards men” (Luke 2:14).

The mission of reconciliation develops as a “dialogue of life”, when Christians live and communicate in everyday and social spheres with people of other faiths and ideologies. This is how people get to know each other, respect each other, learn from each other, because, according to the word of St. John Chrysostom, “we have nothing in common only with the devil, but with all people we have much in common.”

The mission of reconciliation includes a “dialogue of community action” through which people of different faiths work together to achieve civil peace and prevent conflict and extremist threats. By acting together for creative traditional spiritual and moral values and fairer laws, protecting the sacred gift of life and confronting the dangers of globalization, peace can be achieved between conflicting peoples, nationalities and cultures, social groups and countries.

One of the important aspects of the mission of reconciliation is the “mission of reconciliation in memory,” when reconciliation occurs in the socio-political consciousness of people, removing conflicts, divisions and alienations caused by civil wars and sharp ideological polarization of society. In a world torn by political, social and religious conflicts, missionaries must recognize that the ministry of reconciliation and peace is given to us “because God in Christ reconciled the world to himself, not imputing [the people’s] crimes, and gave us the word of reconciliation” (2 Cor. 5:19).

All types of missionary service are based on the principle of Divine love. Therefore, while certainly remaining faithful to Orthodoxy, we are obliged to respect in human terms representatives of other religious beliefs. At the same time, our peaceful coexistence with people of other faiths should not be understood as an opportunity for mixing different religious traditions.

2.3. The image of a modern missionary and his qualities

All members of the Church, as the Body of Christ, are called to be missionaries in the broad sense of the word and to carry out church-wide apostolic service. Therefore, every Orthodox Christian must be aware of the responsibility of witness entrusted to him.

A missionary in the specific sense is a preacher who has a special missionary education, proclaiming the word of God to those who have not heard the Orthodox testimony. The missionary call expressed by the Apostle Paul: “...if I preach the gospel, then I have nothing to boast about, because this is my necessary duty, and woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” (1 Cor. 9:16) - expresses the missionary’s inner need to share the joy of salvation that he has found in Christ.

In the historical practice of developing the mission of the Russian Orthodox Church, certain organizational forms of missionary service of the clergy and laity have developed, the use of which can now be considered appropriate:

synodal missionary - a priest or clergyman carrying out missionary service on behalf of the Holy Synod (represented by its Missionary Department) at the invitation of the diocesan Right Reverends in those dioceses that cannot have (or maintain) their own qualified missionary personnel. The missionary activities of synodal missionaries are carried out on the basis of programs developed by the Missionary Department of the Moscow Patriarchate and agreed upon with the diocesan bishops. Financial support for the synodal missionary during missionary service is provided by the Orthodox Missionary Fund of the Russian Orthodox Church;
diocesan missionary - a priest or clergyman who carries out missionary service within the canonical boundaries of a particular diocese with the blessing of the ruling bishop. Financial support for a diocesan missionary during missionary service is provided by the diocesan missionary fund or another diocesan institution authorized by the diocesan Bishop.

Educational activities among various segments of the population presuppose the constant updating of forms of missionary service and puts forward strict demands on missionaries.

Modern missionaries in their activities, more than ever before, have to look for non-standard solutions. It is especially important for them to be able to convey the experience of the apostolic and patristic tradition in a language understandable to our contemporaries. In modern society, where the commandment to love one’s neighbor is almost forgotten and there is widespread indifference, including to religious issues, a missionary must be able to stir up the indifferent, encourage him to turn to the Gospel and embody Christian values in everyday life.

The missionary, being a conductor of the Orthodox tradition, is called upon to convey both the entire wealth of the theological heritage of the Orthodox Church and his personal experience of following Christ. At the same time, he must follow the centuries-old traditions of Orthodox spirituality: “Spiritual leadership is not the manipulation of people’s consciousness, it is the power of love, not spiritual violence” (His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II).

The historical experience of the Orthodox mission since the times of the apostles shows us examples of the qualities that are necessary for a missionary: prayerfulness, humility, selflessness, perseverance, zeal for God, friendliness. The preaching of the successors of the apostles must correspond to “sound teaching” (Titus 2:1), which has the authority of the “rule of faith” (2 Tim. 3:10-14).

Orthodox missionaries often carry out their ministry under conditions of exceptional difficulty. Therefore, one of the most important qualities required of them is patience with humble devotion to God and a willingness to overcome the difficulties of this world.

Missionary Practice

3.1. Missionary assignment

The missionary commission is part of the Christian's public service; it includes the laity in the missionary activities of the parish, so that each of them feels involved in the common cause of the mission.

The main task of missionary assignments is to actualize the living missionary experience of the Church.

Missionary assignments can be carried out through:

participation of the laity in worship (carrying out choir and altar obediences, organizing patronal feasts, religious processions and other church celebrations), as well as the establishment of permanent church duties of the laity and together with the clergy to communicate with unchurched people;
attracting the laity to participate in social diakonia;
wide organization of missionary parish circles;
participation of the laity in church conferences, debates, Internet forums, television and radio broadcasts, charity events and other forms of social activity.

Special missionary assignments include the involvement of the laity in participation in missionary expeditions, in catechetical work (in pre-convention and announcement), and in other types of Church activities to teach the fundamentals of the faith.

3.2. Missionary training

All ministry of the Church has an apostolic missionary character. Hence the need arises to develop a missionary approach in the preparation of curricula and the educational process of primary, secondary and higher spiritual education.

Modern missionary work requires new methods and special training for preachers who will have to work in the conditions of both a metropolis and distant settlements. Therefore, the training of missionaries must be consistent with the tasks assigned to them.

When training missionaries (especially in specialized missionary theological educational institutions), knowledge of the history of the mission, the principles and methods of modern missionary activity, social work, ethnography, social psychology, conflictology, etc., becomes of great importance. Practical experience in implementing the mission, which can be acquired through the participation of seminary or academy students in missionary expeditions, missionary camps and parishes. To do this, it is necessary to include a section “Missionary practice” in the basic curriculum of theological schools[6].

The program of spiritual education must take into full account the needs of the missionary activity of the Russian Orthodox Church.

[4] It is necessary to especially emphasize the canonical inadmissibility in ordinary cases of Baptism of adults and youth without prior full catechesis (Baptism without announcement is prohibited by the 78th rule of the VI Ecumenical Council and the 46th rule of the Laodicean Council). Of course, no one should place “unbearable burdens” on people (Luke 11:46), but it is hardly useful to baptize “on demand” for someone who does not want to work hard for the sake of God and a conscious, responsible entry into the Church. [5] Proselytism is usually understood as any direct or indirect attempt to influence the religiosity of a person of another religion with the aim of inducing apostasy through some kind of “bait”, by deception or concealing the truth, using inexperience and ignorance of personality, needs, etc. Proselytism differs from missionary work in violation of spiritual and moral laws and norms, including freedom of human will. [6] During the summer holidays, students can undertake missionary practice in parishes and monasteries with rich missionary experience, as well as in those parishes from which they were sent to the educational institution. In addition, it is necessary to provide for students of theological schools the opportunity to carry out practical missionary obedience, primarily in educational institutions, hospitals, boarding homes for children, the elderly and the disabled. If there is a diocesan missionary in the diocese, then it is advisable to carry out the practice under his leadership.

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Main aspects of the modern mission in the Russian Orthodox Church. Priest Alexander Korotky, deputy. Chairman of the Missionary Department of the Russian Orthodox Church

Main aspects of modern mission in the Russian Orthodox Church

Reviving its missionary service in our days, the Russian Orthodox Church is solving the most ambitious missionary task in the last few centuries - bringing to Christ all peoples liberated from the yoke of godless ideology, living in a world of social upheaval, conflicts and confrontations. The mission of the Russian Orthodox Church at the current historical stage is carried out in conditions of large-scale expansion of non-traditional ideological and doctrinal systems and their impact on people’s value priorities. Modern secular culture is increasingly oriented towards “neopaganism” and at the same time, the degree of assimilation of the values of creative national cultures genetically related to Orthodoxy is decreasing.

In modern missionary activity, the use of literature, educational programs (for example, on the Law of God) and most other material created in the pre-revolutionary era turns out to be ineffective, because By their nature, this literature and programs were designed for already churched adults and children. Such literature did not set itself the goal of bringing students to the Church, because The very way of cultural, social and public life of pre-revolutionary Russia contributed to this. Modern missionary activity, as a priority for the Russian Orthodox Church at the present stage, required a deeper theological understanding of various traditions and methods of pastoral care and leadership. Over the centuries, a monastic tradition of pastoral care has developed in the church environment, which involves helping newcomers and spiritual mentoring to people who have already come to the Church, those who have already joined the Church, or those who are becoming churchgoers. It has its own measure of severity, its own methods of spiritual management and mentoring. The pastoral-missionary tradition, based on examples of missionary preaching and the activities of outstanding missionaries of the Russian Orthodox Church, presupposes special ways and methods of bringing people to Christ, when the mission is carried out among the “baptized, but unenlightened,” with its own measure of rigor, its own language of preaching. Thirdly, today the missionary activity of the Russian Orthodox Church includes an internal mission, that is, work to return to the church fence people who, as a result of the persecution of the Church in the 20th century, found themselves cut off from their fatherly faith and fell under the influence of destructive cults and totalitarian sects. Opposition to such cults is one of the areas of missionary activity. Missiological studies of these challenges, both in canonical and historical, cultural aspects, reveal to us new characteristics of the modern missionary field of the Russian Orthodox Church. They also make it possible to find appropriate effective forms and methods of missionary service. At present, several directions in modern missionary activity can already be distinguished:

First of all, this is the mission of churching. This is missionary work with those seeking God, with those preparing for holy baptism, as well as with those who, having already been baptized, have not received proper instruction in the fundamentals of the Christian faith. The purpose of such a mission is to include catechumens and baptized people in the fullness of church life, to help in the formation of the Orthodox content and way of life.

Such educational activities among various segments of the population presuppose the constant updating of forms of missionary service and puts forward strict demands on missionaries. Missionaries bring the Good News to people who do not yet recognize the need for God and the Church. These people are extremely diverse in their life experience, age, education, professions, and in a rapidly changing world they require constant care and participation. And here, holding special missionary services with the involvement of all clergy and enterprising laity to participate in the process of churching new members of the community comes to the rescue. And the practice of including the laity in missionary activities through “missionary assignments.” Where the main task of such assignments is to update the living missionary experience of the Church, through the participation of the laity in worship: carrying out choir and altar obedience, organizing religious processions and other church celebrations. And also through the participation of the laity in church conferences, debates, Internet forums, television and radio broadcasts, charity events and other forms of social activity.

Another direction is the information mission. This is Orthodox testimony to the widest segments of the population through all available media, as well as through the organization of parish libraries and the publication of special missionary literature. After all, the main task for the church media is still to educate the people, since our compatriots, cut off from the church traditions of the past and from religious education during the period of atheism, remain ignorant to this day of what is our national wealth: they have no idea about the foundations of Orthodox culture, about Christian ethics, are deprived of basic knowledge about the Church and the meaning of the Orthodox faith.

Separately, I would like to touch upon such a phenomenon in our lives as the Internet community. It's no secret that an essential property of the Internet space is freedom. Nothing and no one can stop a person from expressing his thoughts and placing on the international network what he likes, what interests and excites him. Naturally, the Internet, being not only a means of communication between people, but to a greater extent, is a means of expressing their inner world, reflecting all the fallenness and inconsistency of the soul of modern man. Currently, the Internet, like our entire country, is a huge uncultivated missionary territory. As in our society, the majority of people on the Internet are non-church, there are also Christians - adherents of various traditions, there are active atheists, there are people interested in and drawn to faith, there are those who do not believe only because they are far from Russian spiritual centers and The gospel has not yet been preached to them. Let’s touch on a number of aspects of carrying out a mission in the Internet community. So, a mission on the World Wide Web, as the Internet space is often called, can be carried out in three ways: 1) through the presentation of information on a web page; 2) through participation in open conversations - teleconferences or Internet forums; 3) through personal correspondence.

What are the features and benefits of online missions?

Independence from distances, which is especially important for our extended country.
Speed of information dissemination.
Comparatively (with the publication of newspapers, television programs) there is a small investment of money and time.
Time to think and select materials.
Creative freedom.

But what are the difficulties of such a mission, and I will also note quite a few of them.

Firstly, “nearby”, that is, at other web addresses that are equally accessible to the reader, there are unacceptable things - depraved content, sites of an occult nature, etc.

Secondly, as with the use of other media, there is no beginning so important for the mission - namely, live personal communication.

Thirdly, the electronic community, a significant part of which consists of programmers and people in general who work with computers, has its own language, which you have to, if not use, then at least understand.

Fourthly, all participants are required to have knowledge of technical means - a computer and some skill in handling the appropriate software.

So, as we see, there are many difficulties, but, despite all these difficulties, the main significant advantage of a mission on the Internet is that even one in the field is quite a warrior, one active person can do a lot. After all, the main principle of the Internet is accessibility, and accordingly, every Orthodox page simply cannot help but be missionary to a greater or lesser extent.

Does missions via the Internet produce any results? Undoubtedly. There are known cases of people being baptized after prolonged communication with Orthodox Christians via the Internet; other people simply become closer to the Church, others become more educated, learn to talk about their faith, and think about what they had previously missed. The Internet is developing rapidly, and, apparently in the future, will develop even faster, there are and will be both Orthodox and non-Orthodox and militant God-fighters in it, but it depends on who will be more active in it, who will be able to give answers to pressing questions with its help questions of time, our future, the future of our fatherland, depends to some extent. Of course, modern missionaries in their activities, more than ever before, have to look for non-standard solutions. It is especially important for them to be able to convey the experience of the apostolic and patristic tradition in a language understandable to their contemporaries. And the Internet is, of course, a suitable tool, but in no case does it replace live communication. Both the computer and the Internet are tools. They can be compared to a scalpel, which in the hands of a surgeon is a blessing, because with its help human life is saved, but in the hands of a murderer and robber it is evil, because it brings death. You can learn a lot of useful things on the Internet: there are a large number of catechetical sites that talk about faith, which greatly helps those who are looking for the true path of salvation, there are social assistance sites, sites of mercy services and assistance to the disadvantaged, various Christian forums and communities. But despite all the variety of Christian Internet resources, we must clearly remember that in modern society, where the commandment to love one’s neighbor is almost forgotten and widespread indifference and coldness reign, including to religious issues, a missionary must be able to stir up the indifferent and encourage him to convert to the Gospel and bring Christian values into everyday life. Otherwise, the place of the Orthodox missionary will be taken by amateurs, obscurantists and sectarians, as we sometimes, unfortunately, see in our everyday life.

Missionary department of the Moscow diocese

Report of the Chairman of the Missionary Department of the Moscow Diocese, Archpriest Mikhail Egorov, at a scientific and practical conference dedicated to the 1025th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus'.

Kolomna city, December 02, 2013

In this relatively short report I will try to give a superficial overview of the history and current situation of the missionary activity of the Russian Orthodox Church. At the same time, many worthy names will be absent from it, but not because their works have been forgotten, but because of the brevity of the narrative.

By the word “mission” we mean the educational service of the Church. A living word about the Living God, directed to those who have not heard it, or have an incomplete or distorted concept of Him.

The missionary service of the Russian Orthodox Church cannot be considered without studying the mission of the famous enlighteners of the Slavs - Saints Cyril and Methodius, Equal-to-the-Apostles. It is important for us in a double aspect: on the one hand, the direct influence on the Christianization of Rus', on the other, the very unique experience of organizing the first Slavic Church, shown by the holy brothers.

The main principles of the mission were: translation of the Holy Scriptures and worship into the local language, absence of violence, personal example of missionaries, founding of a local Church with local clergy.

The fruits of the mission of the Equal-to-the-Apostles brothers for Rus' bore fruit, first in the person of Grand Duchess Olga, and then in the person of her grandson, Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir. The educational ministry of the Church immediately after the Baptism of Rus' quickly spread to the central regions, bringing with it the light of the Christian faith and the introduction of the Russian people to world Christian culture.

A significant intensification of the preaching of the Holy Gospel occurred due to the spread of monasteries founded by St. Sergius of Radonezh and his disciples in remote lands.

The active development of the southeastern lands in the 16th-18th centuries provided the basis for the education of the Tatars, Bashkirs and other peoples of the Volga region. The first heralds of Christianity among the foreigners of the Volga region were the holy Kazan First Hierarchs - Archbishop Gury and his co-workers - Saints Herman and Barsanuphius.

The development of Siberia, right up to the shores of America, was accompanied by the appearance of churches and clergy in those parts. The Gospel of Christ was preached to the peoples of Siberia by great missionaries - St. Innocent (Veniaminov), Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna (1797-1879), Archimandrite Macarius Glukharev (1792-1847), Metropolitan of Altai Macarius (Nevsky) (1835-1926), as well as dozens of their ever-memorable companions and successors. The evangelistic works and exploits of outstanding Siberian missionaries, the educational activities of them and the missionary schools and schools they founded, printing in the languages of the indigenous peoples of Siberia, who previously had no written language, the extensive charitable activities of the Siberian missions - all this is an accurate and true characteristic of the missionary service of the Church. A special role in these processes was played by the personality of Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow and Kolomna, who not only through words and personal example, but also financially supported the missionary works of many ascetics. Foreign missions received special development: Urmia (Iran and Turkey), Beijing, Japan.

The pre-revolutionary years were accompanied by a surge in scientific and educational activities of the Church - the Missionary Society, created by St. Innocent of Moscow, published a large amount of educational literature. Missionary work became more and more systematic - missionary congresses were held in many dioceses, missionary courses were opened, and full-time missionaries appeared.

After the revolution, an active struggle against the Church began: churches were closed and destroyed, religious education was prohibited, and the subject “The Law of God” was prohibited. However, if at first there were still open disputes, they were soon stopped. Church preaching became possible only inside the temple, access to which was seriously limited. But no one could prohibit the personal feat of confession and martyrdom, so they became the main form of mission: Saints Tikhon of Moscow, Peter (Polyansky), Seraphim (Chichagov), Luke (Voino-Yasenetsky) and many others from among the clergy and laity set the example of their lives and they preached Christ to death.

Officially, the Church was able to carry out some activities only after 1943, but this activity was strictly controlled and limited to the territory of the temple or abroad. It was the foreign contacts and activities of the Church that during this period became a certain guarantor of protection and provided the opportunity for internal development. For example, since 1946, the Moscow Theological Academy resumed its activities, and in 1956, for the first time after the restoration of the patriarchate, the Bible was published in Russian. The Church, constrained in its capabilities, sought to bring the Word of God to man by all means available to it. Even in the conditions of an atheistic state, such shepherds as John (Krestyankin), Alexander Men, Dimitry Dudko, and many others appeared and labored in this field.

In addition to the internal, often invisible from the outside, ministry, it is necessary to mention the external mission of the Russian Church, which it carried out outside our Motherland, testifying to Orthodoxy before the Western world. This testimony was in demand, through it many people could learn the teaching of the Orthodox Church about Christ and the fidelity to His tradition. Speaking about this testimony, it is impossible not to remember our mentors, in the words of the apostle, who especially worked in this ministry. These are the ever-memorable Metropolitans Nikodim (Rotov) and Anthony (Blum), Protopresbyter Vitaly Borovoy, and the now living His Holiness Patriarch Kirill and Metropolitan Yuvenaly.

The celebration of the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus' in 1988 became a new page in the life of the Church. Processions of thousands, official visits by delegations of Local Churches, and general spiritual upsurge showed that state policy was unable to kill the faith of the Russian people over decades of persecution. In addition, the celebration served as an impetus for the emergence of interest among people in the Orthodox faith.

The primary tasks of the Church during this period were the healing of church schisms that arose in connection with the collapse of the USSR, the organization of parish life, the restoration of churches, the education and training of the clergy. Many people came to the Church, but not all stayed.

In this regard, I would like to quote the words of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, which he said more than ten years ago: “The Second Baptism of Rus' was not the result of the missionary work of the Church. This, of course, is the action of God's grace. This is truly a tragic, historical experience, the experience of our people. Whether we want it or not, dear brothers, we must admit to ourselves that this historical image has formed a certain stereotype in us. We feel comfortable in church, we go out to our believing people, we say: “In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit,” we begin the sermon, we feel in our element. No matter how we preach the sermon, good or bad, the pious people will always shout to us: “God bless you,” and, as always, such peace warms the soul... But there is no movement here. These people came to us because their parents were taught in the faith. They have already been converted either due to traditions, upbringing, or some kind of their own searches. And let's say frankly that the entire phenomenon of the second Baptism of Rus' was not the result of the mission of the Church. This was the result of an independent search by people who were disillusioned with the dominant ideology, with the value of life, who realized from their own experience that without God it is impossible to build a full life. This is the result of their internal search, their internal struggle, their quest. They came to us, and we met them; some are good, some are bad; some with love, and some with lukewarmness; some with jealousy, and some with irritation. And jealousy directly depended on the size of the parish, the priest’s income, his employment, etc. And we cannot say that we all met them well, because its first wave, born in 1988, had already subsided, and many who came to the Church on this wave did not remain in the Church...”[1]

Currently, the missionary activity of the Russian Orthodox Church is carried out in two directions:

External (among unbaptized and non-Christian peoples):
Internal (among the baptized, but not sufficiently enlightened):

External missionary activity:

Apologetic mission (dialogue with non-believers, representatives of other religions and representatives of schismatic organizations),

For example, in the Moscow diocese, in September 2013, in the city of Podolsk, an Interregional Youth Human Rights Forum on the problems of destructive cults was held. The forum participants included 200 students and interested young people from Moscow, the Moscow region and more than 15 other regions of Russia and neighboring countries. Also during the year, meetings were held in various deaneries with prof. A. L. Dvorkin.

Organization of missionary trips to hard-to-reach regions of Russia,
Organizing missionary trips and building churches in countries that do not traditionally profess Christianity.

Intra-parish missionary activity is aimed at people who regularly participate in the liturgical and sacramental life of the Church, or who visit church with some frequency.

The following forms can be distinguished:

Public conversations before the sacraments of Baptism and Marriage. In the churches of the Moscow diocese, it has become traditional to conduct public conversations before the Sacraments of Baptism and Marriage; in 2013, conversations were held with approximately 8,000 adults preparing for baptism, 140,000 parents and recipients, and about 9,000 wishing to get married.
Sunday schools (parochial schools),
Orthodox gymnasiums and schools,
Educational work with families,
Educational conversations or lectures on various topics,
Parish libraries. There are 900 Orthodox libraries at the churches of the diocese.
Pilgrimages,
Orthodox family vacation. Orthodox rest is an educational form of missionary activity, covering both the spiritual and material spheres of human existence, and aimed at spreading the Orthodox faith, bringing people into the Church and transmitting the experience of communion with God through the personal participation of the family and each of its members individually in the sacramental life of the Church. Today, several types of Orthodox recreation are actively practiced in the Moscow Diocese: stationary and non-stationary Orthodox family and children's camps, day groups, gatherings of Orthodox families; pilgrimages, travel, foreign trips, day trips and excursions. In 2013, 530 Orthodox recreation facilities were organized, including 69 for children, 8 for newlyweds, 76 family camps, 61 excursions, 204 pilgrimages, 74 hikes, 38 other events in the field of Orthodox recreation. In total, more than 20,000 people took part in organized Orthodox holidays from parishes and monasteries of the Moscow diocese this year.
Intra-parish information activities, Parish leaflets,
Parish website. In order to carry out missionary activities and expand the representation of the Church on the Internet, in 2013, Internet sites were created for all churches of the diocese (about 1,500 sites were created); in addition to information about the temple, all sites contain a missionary section.
Information stands. Information stands with educational information have been installed at approximately 900 churches.
Church accessibility and parish counseling,
Missionary services,

Non-parish missionary activity

It is aimed, first of all, at people who consider themselves Orthodox, baptized, but practically do not participate in the liturgical and sacramental life of the Church. Educational parish ministry can be implemented through all possible types outside the liturgical service of the Church: social service, among youth, in hospitals, in the armed forces, through interaction with the media, on the Internet and many others.

In the Moscow diocese, in addition to the implementation of parish missionary activities, work is carried out at the diocesan level:

To improve the level of education of parish catechists-missionaries, Missionary Catechetical Courses have been organized at the Kolomna Orthodox Theological Seminary, and for parishioners who want to improve the level of their theological knowledge, Biblical Theological Courses named after. Venerable Sergius of Radonezh. The missionary department has prepared a training manual for students of the “Organization and Conduct of Missionary Activities” courses. In 2013, more than 300 people completed their studies at the missionary catechetical courses of the Moscow Diocese in the direction of “catechist-missionary”, about 200 people completed the first year of study. About 400 full-time missionary-catechists from among the laity work in the parishes of the diocese.
In order to exchange experience and accumulate methodological materials, the official website of the Missionary Department operates (https://infomissia.cerkov.ru), the journal “Bulletin of the Missionary Department of the Moscow Diocese” is published twice a year, and a thematic diocesan conference “Mission of the Parish” is organized annually.
To help rectors and their assistant catechists-missionaries, the diocesan missionary department, together with the department of catechesis and religious education, published methodological instructions for rectors and catechists-missionaries “Organization of educational activities in the parishes of the Moscow diocese”, where positive experience was collected and recommendations were given on the conduct of educational activities activities in parishes. This publication will be supplied free of charge to all churches of the diocese;
To help missionary catechists and clergy, an educational project “Unfamiliar Orthodoxy” (https://missionary.su) has been created, containing answers to questions typical for people with different attitudes towards the Church and different spiritual levels, and the project “Ask a question about your faith": reference phone number and e-mail, by which you can get answers to your questions;
On Holy Saturday, for the last three years, the educational campaign “Easter Message” has been held, when churches give the Gospel to those who want to read it and do not have a home.
In order to counter totalitarian sects, the Missionary Department cooperates with the Center for Supporting Operational Activities to Counter Extremism of the Central Internal Affairs Directorate.

The basis of missionary activity should be the correct spiritual life of the parish. Personal, caring witness to Christ of all members of the community, both clergy and parishioners. It is on church experience, as the foundation, that we must base our educational ministry, which will call to Christ those who have not yet been enlightened by the light of His teaching.

[1] Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad. Speech at the Second All-Church Congress of Diocesan Missionaries (November 1999)

Photo — mepar.ru

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