St. Ignatius Orthodox Mission of Mesa, Arizona

 

We believe  in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible;
And in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Only-begotten, Begotten of the Father before all ages, Light of Light, True God of True God, Begotten, not made, of one essence with the Father, by Whom all things were made:
Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and was made man;
And was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried;
And the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures;
And ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of the Father;
And He shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead, Whose kingdom shall have no end.
And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, and Giver of Life, Who proceedeth from the Father, Who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, Who spoke by the Prophets;
And we believe in One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins.
We look for the Resurrection of the dead,
And the Life of the age to come. Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of America

 

 

 

 

St. Ignatius of Antioch Mission

Phone: 480 892-6224
www.saintig.org

Why Go To Church?


Why would I want to go to Church?

What Basic Needs Can the Orthodox Church Meet?


 

Based upon Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

St. Ignatius of Antioch Mission
Phone: 480 892-6224
www.saintig.org


 
 

Recent Research from Barna Research says Needs of Church attendees NOT being met

  • 48% of regular church attendees have not experienced God's presence 
  • Most are likely to cite their worship services as boring 
  • Only 43% of attendees have a lot of confidence in Christian churches
  • Most attendees do not find their church to be doing a good job
  • By 2010, 10% to 20% of the population will rely primarily or exclusively upon the Internet for information about the Church

How Can the Orthodox Church Meet our Basic Human Needs?

  • Physiological Needs Can be Met
  • Safety and Security Needs Can be Met
  • Love Needs Can be Met
  • Esteem Needs Can be Met
  • Self Actualization Needs Can be Met

Maslow's Hierarch of Needs applied to the Orthodox Church - Abraham Maslow, born in 1908 as a Jewish emigrant, became noted for the theory of 5 progressive levels of human need expressed as Maslow's Hierarch of Needs. His theory is commonly revered among educators today. It can be applied to the understanding Why People Go to Church.

Physiological Needs must be met by Going to Church -The primary need humans must meet first is the need for physical well-being. These include things that if we do not have, we will die. Water, Food, Light, Air, Exercise, and Rest are among these Needs. How can going to an Orthodox church meet these needs? Water is needed for our becoming Orthodox. Through the waters of baptism, we enter the Church and are born to a new life in which all things are sacred. What about food? We are taught to NOT Eat before coming to the Divine Liturgy. Why is that? So that we will hunger for the Bread of Life our spiritual nourishment and receive the Food from Heaven during the Eucharist. Yes, we will perish without the sustenance given to use. What about Light, how can that need be fulfilled in going to Church? The light of the candles reminds us of our prayers. Christ himself, the Sun of Righteousness is the Light of the World. Light, not darkness is given to us in Church. Air: We cannot live without it nor can we live without the Holy Spirit, that is breathed upon us. Exercise: Yes, in fact the word Liturgy means WORK. The Divine Liturgy is our exercise making us strong for the week ahead. Rest: We are give the Peace of Christ during the Divine Liturgy. There is nothing more restful than receiving this grace of Peace with God. Are your basic physiological needs being met? Come to church!

Safety and Security Needs Can be Met by Going to Church. Each person must feel safe and secure to be able to progress up the hierarchy of needs. How does coming to the Orthodox Church satisfy this need? The average person does not know real Safety and Security. But for the Orthodox Christian it comes by attending predictable, orderly and structured services, ancient in their origin and identical in practice throughout the Universe - both Heave and Earth. As Orthodox, attending the Divine Liturgy is NOT an isolated event. Those in Heaven and Earth join us as we participate together. Do you want to miss this?

Love Needs Can be Met by Going to Church - The word Love has many meanings. In Tennis it means nothing but in the Church it means everything. Love is a need that can be met by attending an Orthodox Church. First we receive the love and acceptance of God, and then we give love and acceptance to others. Only after having the first two needs met, can our basic need of Belonging be met at Church. True love comes from God, as we know He is Love. True love in turn is given to others as we included them in our lives. We all belong together in a Community of Peace and like-mindedness’ that comes from going to Church. Its opposite is loneliness and anxiety. We are social creatures. It is part of the image of God that we possess. He, after all, created us to love! True love comes with forgiveness, which comes, which comes only through repentance. Our relationship with God and others in love only comes out of dealing with our inadequacies and shortcomings forgiving one another. You can only get this need met at Church!

Esteem Needs Can be Met at Church - When Jesus was asked about the commandments His answer catches us by surprise."Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and the greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: Love your neighbors as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on those two commandments (Mattew 22:37-40)." Self regard or esteem is a fundamental need that is met only by understanding our position with God and others and we cannot love ourselves unless this is understood. Orthodoxy's greatest virtue is humility. We can only learn humility within this relationship of God and others. As we learn to love God and others, we can begin to love ourselves and see ourselves as something of value that can be given as a sacrifice. St. Paul, in Romans 12 says: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Self Actualization Needs Can be Met at Church - This is Maslow's highest level of human need, that is, our need to give ourselves to something outside ourselves. This need is called a "Growth Need" rather than as the first 4 are regarded as "Deficit Needs" since this need is generated not from something that we are lacking but from something we are given. St. Paul continues in Romans 12 to explain the use of "Spiritual Gifts" that we are given to serve others. "Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them." Each of us has a gift that can be used at Church to build up the "body of Christ" Very few people ever make it to satisfying this need and many try to start here at this level. Attributes of this level include people who are compassionate, accepters of others and themselves, able to work with others. They are lovers of truth and beauty and see God's hand in all things. Are you a person who has these needs? A way to tell if you are and these needs  are not being met is if you have developed depression, despair, disgust, alienation, or a degree of cynicism. Becoming an active giving member of the Orthodox Church can satisfy this need.

 

St. Ignatius of Antioch Mission
Phone: 480 892-6224
www.saintig.org