Called to Serve
My experience serving in the orthodox church…
As soon as I was officially a catechumen, I was super excited and enthusiastic about my new faith and strongly desired to serve in some capacity in the church. (I still feel that way.)
In the LDS church, the local leadership assigns “jobs” to pretty much all members within a congregation. They call these Callings because the church is calling on you to serve within the life of the church in some capacity. Who is selected for what position is often based on a number of factors:
I should remind readers that, for the most part, LDS ecclesiastic roles are primarily done on a volunteer basis.
Who knows you and how well?
What does your local bishop know about you, likes/dislikes (esp. regarding callings), your background, skills, capabilities, availability, etc? They may suggest your name to those looking to fill positions.
Prayerful/spiritual impressions. ← This is supposed to be the primary method of selecting individuals for callings.
I think other factors also play into this (sometimes these seem to be subconscious considerations, sometimes they are overt - it depends on the people involved). I’ve seen indications of both. Technically, the factors listed below should not be involved in the selection of people for specific callings, but people are people, and it’s sometimes impossible to keep “implicit” biases from creeping in. (And I’m sure this happens everywhere.)
Status - and all the things that go into this (wealth, worldly success, etc.)
Popularity - and all the things that go into this (wealth, worldly success, etc.)
Family name or relationships.
Previous callings: some leadership positions, particularly within a Bishopric, like the office of a Bishop (presbyter) or a councillor, require a certain amount of preparation. So sometimes there will be a progression through callings. I.e., Ward/Bishopric secretary→2nd Councillor, 1st Councillor→Bishop. Someone with experience in the Bishopric may eventually be called to a stake leadership role in the future, or a role in an important ministry like the young men's or young women’s ministries. Note that this is just an example, and there is not usually a clear/direct, or formal path between callings. People can and do bounce around between different callings, sometimes without rhyme or reason.
General LDS Process of calling an individual
First of all, there is no definitive/canonical method for doing this. This process can vary from person to person, or ward to ward, and stake to stake.
Often, leaders within a particular Ward (i.e., congregation) who are looking to fill vacancies in their “ministries” will make a list of names of people they believe may be appropriate.
The creation of this list may even be done prayerfully.
Local bishops (pastors/presbyters) may also suggest people based on what they know about them.
Leaders are instructed to pray over their list and follow the impressions they receive.
Those local leaders then bring their suggestions/requests to the local congregation leadership (The Bishop and his councillors) for their prayerful consideration and approval. I’ve seen bishops just readily agree very quickly, and for some callings that are considered of primary importance, I’ve been in bishopric meetings where the entire quorum (the bishop, his two councillors, and their secretary/assistants) kneel and pray about it and then discuss their thoughts/impressions before making a final decision. If the response is a Nay, the feedback will go back to the leader in question and the process may begin again.
If approved, the individual being selected will be asked to meet with the bishop, where they will be “extended a calling.” I.e., they will be asked to serve in some capacity. Technically, each person can accept or reject a calling - nobody is forced to serve in a specific capacity. Culturally, however, rejecting callings is very much discouraged and looked down on; so there is at least some cultural pressure to accept a calling.
At the parish level, the Orthodox church functions differently. Clergy don’t regularly extend callings to the laity to participate in ministries. Every once in a while (once or twice a year), there may be a “ministry fair” during “coffee hour” where each ministry has a table and some materials that communicate what they do, why it’s important, and how to get involved.
Parishioners are encouraged to get involved in the life of the church (after all, it’s their church and parish), but to me, requests for involvement seem to be a much more laissez-faire enterprise than in the LDS use case, which is very proactive in getting members involved in volunteer work within the Ward (parish). In Orthodoxy, a calling is more about something you feel called by God to do, not a job you are asked you to perform.
Callings I asked for
Chanting
The first thing I did was to request my Fr.’s blessing to sing with the chanters; my godfather leads the men’s portion of the chanting. He readily approved. In hindsight, I was not as prepared for this as I should have been.
I did this, going into it having no experience with singing at all. I had never had a voice lesson, and I had never sung in a real choir, other than singing in the LDS church on occasion. I can read music, but without voice/ear training, I didn’t know how to sing the music I was reading on a page of sheet music and be in tune. Then, when others were singing, I would get pulled into whatever tones/notes they were singing, even if they were off-key.
Chanting in an Orthodox church is not the same as singing hymns in an LDS or protestant church choir. The Orthodox Church uses a Byzantine style that comes with its own terms, tonalities, modes, and even music notation.
I did my best to learn about this, but I always felt like there was a very high bar I’d have to get myself over, and I wasn’t necessarily passionate enough about it to be as proactive in coming up to speed as I should have been. I started taking voice lessons and ear training, which was helpful. I could get there if I focused on doing just this one calling and gave myself a year or two to figure it all out.
Acolyte
The second thing I requested after 4-5 months of chanting with the chanters was to ask to serve at the altar. I did this because there was a list of things that prospective deacons need to have under their belt, and that was my trajectory.
Like Chanting, in hindsight, I think I was unprepared for this. At the time, I thought I was prepared; I had memorized all of the congregational portions of the liturgy and most of the hymns. But that was not enough.
I’m going to provide my thoughts, feelings, and recommendations for any new orthodox man who wants to serve at the altar.
Recommendations
Memorize the liturgy so you know it like the back of your hand. Try to learn all of the parts, including the priests’ and the deacons’ parts. This includes not just what they say, but also what they are doing and when. Pay attention to everything the other acolytes and altar boys do, how they do it, and when.
When you get behind the icon screen, a lot is going on, and the experience behind the scenes is quite different from in the narthex.
You need to know what is happening at any point in time, as well as what will happen next at any point in the service.
Go into this with a spirit of extreme humility. There is a lot to learn; every liturgy is actually a fairly large production with a lot of behind-the-scenes coordination required to pull it off. You are going to make mistakes. It’s not easy to learn because there are variations in the services depending on the liturgical dates. Some people will inevitably get short with you. If you go into the altar to serve, I strongly recommend you go in with the attitude that you know nothing, with an openness and willingness to learn and be corrected when you make a mistake (because you will!) If your ego gets in the way or makes you frustrated or angry when you are corrected, then perhaps you should reconsider whether you are ready to be in the altar.
There will be times (many times) when you receive contradictory, even incorrect information and make mistakes as a result, sometimes quite visibly in front of the entire congregation - this has happened to me. It’s inevitable - everyone makes mistakes, I’ve even seen deacons and priests make mistakes. Don’t take it personally, and don’t get frustrated. Try to ensure you understand clearly what is being asked of you, and don’t allow yourself to get rushed into doing something if you don’t understand the instructions. Ask questions and repeat instructions back for confirmation. If you are feeling rushed and confused, it’s better to have someone else who knows what to do take on a task than to do it yourself and feel embarrassed when you make a mistake.
Remember that the deacons are there to assist the priests, and you are there to assist the deacons and the priests if called on directly.
Keep your wits about you. Don’t get lost in your thoughts, try to keep attentive at all times, so that if someone is trying to direct or even correct you discreetly, you will notice it.
When you first begin to serve at the altar. My advice is to take the time just to observe. Observe closely how the priests and deacons' actions influence the expectations and requirements for all other acolytes and altar servers.
The hardest things to learn are the “triggers” - i.e., the words said or actions performed by the clergy that trigger a specific set of actions required by you. So, get a copy of the liturgy and write notes on it, make sure you understand:
When deacons go out one door, when they come in the other door
When censors are needed, and who will need them.
When candles need to be lit on the altar.
When the priests need boiling water for the eucharist (when to start boiling it, then to pour it, and when to take it out to them).
When, who, and how to line up for the small entrance, gospel reading, and great entrance. Where you will be processing, where you will stop, and then the order of who goes back into the altar, when, and how.
Where and when the gospel reading stand needs to be placed. In my parish, it should be placed by the bishop’s throne for a reading that a deacon will do. If there is no deacon, it needs to be placed in front of the royal gates by the Soleia. For the homily, if the priest has a printed talk or notes, the stand should be placed in front of the solea.
Learn to do one thing at a time: deacon doors, boiling water, lighting candles, censors, etc. Your brain will explode if you try to get everything at once.
Give yourself time to learn it all and have it all come together. It may take months.
If your parish streams its services on YouTube, take the time to watch a recording of one, with a copy of the liturgy, and make notes about what happens and when, and what words/actions by the priest or deacon trigger those actions. Make note of when priests or deacons are censing because that means that someone in the altar prepared the censors, lit the charcoal, added the incense, and handed the prepped censors to the decons - and you’ll need to learn to do the same thing.
Conclusion
I’m intentionally trying to keep this one short. I tend to be very verbose, and I wanted to give everyone a break, so I’m wrapping it up here.
Generally, I’ve found that everyone, even when I’m being corrected, is very kind, patient, and wants to help. Sometimes, however, some people are very attached to a specific way of doing things. We’re all human. Some of us have good days and some have bad days. One other person I serve with once came up to stand beside me, for no apparent reason I could discern, and then asked for my forgiveness. I had no idea why he was asking; he didn’t say anything to me, but perhaps he had a negative thought about something I was doing and recognized that it was not good.
If you approach your church service with the same mindset of humility and compassion, and do your best to carry a Christlike attitude with you, then you’ll be fine in whatever you do. And we do need to be compassionate toward everyone there. Everyone is showing up intending to serve God and wants to do the best they can, but all of us are sinners.
I thought at one point that someone was very particular, maybe a little more than is required. I was never angry or offended by him; I just figured that was their personality. We all have our quirks. Who am I with my ADHD and Asperger’s to judge or get short with someone because of their quirks? Then later, I found out that that person struggles with health issues of their own, which makes being patient and empathetic difficult. (I’m not going to say who or what.) Despite that, however, he always approached reproving or instructing me with love and compassion and would preface it by saying that he is helping me learn to do it right, because he recognized (and I had told him) that I want to learn to do things the right way; and this is true, I tend to be particular and a bit of a perfectionist. I can only imagine what kind of extreme self-control and compassion he must have to deal with me, with the kindness and patience he has shown me. It is an example to me of how Christlike they have become, how much the church has helped them on the way towards theosis, and how far I still have to go in that journey.1
I have a special love for all of these folks, and I try harder because of my love and appreciation for them and the kindness, patience, and compassion with which they have dealt with me. (And I know I’m not easy. I can certainly be challenging.)
So, go easy on yourself and everyone else. Carry the callings you pursue with grace, patience, compassion, and humility.
I honestly wish I had discovered the Orthodox church during my teenage years or early 20s, at the very least. I both admire and, maybe, even envy a little, the young men coming into the church. What a blessing it will be for them to have this rich spiritual life to guide and accompany them throughout their lives. I feel like now, I’m still starting from the beginning of the journey towards theosis, but as an older man, I feel like I don’t have that much runway left - 15, maybe 20 years, if I’m lucky? I pray I can make progress as rapidly as possible to make up for lost time.