Start with the services. Get yourself a prayer book before anything else.
The Antiochian Archdiocese publishes a Pocket Prayer Book that fits in your glove compartment or purse. It’s got morning prayers, evening prayers, mealtime prayers, and the prayers before communion. You’ll use this every single day. That makes it more important than any theology book, no matter how good the theology book is.
After that, you need one solid introduction to what Orthodoxy actually is. Metropolitan Kallistos Ware’s The Orthodox Church has been the standard for decades. It’s clear, it’s thorough, and it doesn’t assume you already know what a troparion is or why we kiss icons. Ware was a convert himself, he gets where you’re starting from.
If you want something shorter and more focused on worship, pick up Fr. Alexander Schmemann’s For the Life of the World. Schmemann writes about the sacraments and the liturgy in a way that makes you see why we do what we do. It’s not a rulebook. It’s more like he’s showing you how the whole Christian life is meant to be eucharistic, how everything points back to communion with God.
The Orthodox Study Bible should be on your shelf too. It’s got the Septuagint Old Testament (the version the apostles used) and includes notes from the Church Fathers throughout. When you’re reading Genesis or Psalms or Romans, you’ll see how the Church has always understood these texts. That’s different from reading with just your own interpretation or a study Bible from a Protestant publisher. We don’t read the Bible alone, we read it with the Church.
But here’s the thing. Don’t try to read everything at once.
I’ve seen new converts buy a stack of books that would take a graduate student two years to get through. They read three chapters, feel overwhelmed, and then feel guilty about the pile gathering dust. That’s not helpful. Pick one book. Read it slowly. Let it sink in. Talk to your priest about what you’re reading. Then pick the next one.
Some books can wait. St. John of Damascus wrote The Orthodox Faith in the eighth century, and it’s brilliant theology. But you don’t need systematic theology in your first six months. You need to learn how to pray and why we venerate the Theotokos and what happens at the Divine Liturgy. The deeper stuff comes later.
If you’re the kind of person who learns by doing, get The Services of Initiation published by the Antiochian House of Studies. It walks through baptism and chrismation with all the prayers and explanations. Even if you’ve already been received into the Church, reading through those services helps you understand what happened to you. What those prayers meant. What the oil and the water and the white garment signify.
For prayer itself, there are lots of good books. But honestly, your priest can give you a prayer rule that fits your life, whether you’re working twelve-hour shifts at the refinery or you’re home with three kids under five. A simple rule you actually keep is better than an elaborate one you don’t. The prayer book I mentioned earlier has what you need to get started.
Some people want to read the Fathers right away. That’s fine, but be careful. Start with something accessible like St. Athanasius’s On the Incarnation. It’s early, it’s clear, and it’s about the core of everything: why God became man. C.S. Lewis wrote the introduction to one edition, which tells you something about how readable it is. But don’t jump straight into St. Maximos the Confessor or St. Gregory Palamas. You’ll get there. Give it time.
One more thing. Ancient Faith Publishing has a whole catalog of books for new Orthodox Christians. Browse their site when you’re ready for your next book. They publish stuff that’s theologically sound and written for real people, not just academics.
Your parish probably has a bookstore or a lending library too. Ask around after coffee hour. Someone’s always got a book they’re excited to lend you. And your priest knows what you need better than any list can tell you. He knows where you’re coming from and what questions you’re wrestling with.
Read slowly. Pray daily. Don’t rush. You’re not cramming for a test, you’re learning to live as an Orthodox Christian. That takes a lifetime, not a semester.
