The bishop and the priest decide each case. But there’s a lot more going on behind that decision than you might think.
The Orthodox Church has three ways to receive people into full communion. Baptism (for those never validly baptized), chrismation (anointing with holy oil, which at St. Michael is for those already baptized by immersion in the name of the Holy Trinity), and confession (for Orthodox Christians who’ve lapsed and want to return). At St. Michael, if you were not baptized by immersion in the name of the Holy Trinity, you will be baptized. If you were, you may be received by chrismation. But it’s not automatic.
When someone wants to become Orthodox, their priest evaluates their background. Were you baptized? Was it done in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? Was water actually used? Were you immersed? These aren’t trick questions. The form matters because baptism isn’t something we invented, it’s what Christ commanded and the apostles practiced. If you were baptized in a Baptist church with the Trinitarian formula, that baptism happened, and if it was by immersion you may be received by chrismation.
But baptism alone doesn’t make you Orthodox. It makes you Christian. Chrismation completes what was begun in baptism and brings you into the fullness of the Orthodox faith. Think of it like this: you were born, but now you’re being adopted into a family. The birth was real. The adoption is also real.
When Economia Comes In
Orthodox bishops operate with something called economia. It’s pastoral discretion. The opposite is akribeia, which means strict application of the rules. Economia lets a bishop look at your particular situation and make a merciful decision that serves your salvation. It’s not about being lax or making things easy. It’s about wisdom.
So your bishop might receive by chrismation a Protestant who was baptized by immersion in the name of the Trinity. But he might require baptism for someone coming from a group that doesn’t baptize in the Trinity’s name (like Oneness Pentecostals or Jehovah’s Witnesses). Those baptisms aren’t valid because they’re not Christian baptisms in the historic sense. The form matters because the reality matters.
Sometimes a bishop will require baptism even when the prior baptism was technically Trinitarian. Maybe there’s serious doubt about how it was done. Maybe the person was baptized in a schismatic group with such defective theology that the sacramental intent was compromised. These are judgment calls. That’s why we have bishops.
At St. Michael, if you were baptized by immersion in the name of the Holy Trinity, you may be received by chrismation after a period of instruction. You’ll renounce your former errors, confess the Orthodox faith, and be anointed with holy chrism. Then you’ll receive communion for the first time as an Orthodox Christian.
Why It’s Not the Same Everywhere
Walk into a Greek parish, an OCA parish, and an Antiochian parish with the same background, and you’ll probably be received the same way. But not always. Some jurisdictions are stricter. Some Russian churches outside Russia baptize everyone regardless of background. Some Old Calendar groups do the same. They’re applying akribeia, the strict rule, rather than economia.
No group is more Orthodox than another here. The difference is how bishops apply the canons in their pastoral care. The canons themselves show flexibility. The Second Ecumenical Council said to receive some heretics by chrismation. Other councils said to baptize them. The Church has long had this tension between strictness and mercy, and she’s never resolved it with a single universal rule that covers every case.
What matters for you as an inquirer is that your priest will work with your bishop to determine the right path. You don’t get to choose. How the Church receives you depends on her wisdom and tradition, not on your preference or comfort level.
Whether you’re coming from a Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, or Baptist background, the question at St. Michael is the same: were you baptized by immersion in the name of the Holy Trinity? If you were, you may be received by chrismation. If you were sprinkled or had water poured over you, you will be baptized.
But if you were never baptized, or if you were “baptized” in a way that wasn’t actually baptism, you’ll go through the full process. Baptism, chrismation, and first communion all in one service. It’s how the Church makes Christians.
Your priest will guide you through this. He’ll ask about your background, explain what the Church requires, and present your case to the bishop if there’s any question. Trust the process. The Church has been receiving converts for two thousand years. She knows what she’s doing.
