Some roles within the Sacraments of the Church (like sponsoring a wedding or a baptism), or serving on the Parish Council, or voting in a parish General Assembly Meeting require that a person have the priest’s endorsement, confirming that they are in “Good Standing” within the Church. This begs the question, “What constitutes a parishioner being regarded in Good Standing?”
Article 18 of the Uniform Parish Regulations (UPR)
A Parishioner in Good Standing:
- Is canonically Baptized & Chrismated
- Is 18 years of age or over
- Lives according to the tenets of the Orthodox faith
- Faithfully attends Divine Liturgy & participates in the sacraments
- Contributes toward the progress of the sacred mission of the Church
- Remains current in stewardship obligation to the Church
- This means that they’ve filled out a stewardship card…on which they’ve made a financial commitment to supporting the ministries of the Church.
- (The priest may waive this under special circumstances)
- Cooperates in every way toward the well-being of the Church
Most of these (aside from being 18 years old or older) merely demonstrate that a person is attempting to be faithful in their efforts to be a fruitful branch of Christ the Vine and to be conformed to His likeness.
