Prior to the actual meeting in 1994, various meetings had taken place in Chambésy, Switzerland, regarding the situation of the Orthodox "[[diaspora]]" throughout the world, but particularly in North America. These meetings were part of a pre-conciliar commission preparing for a planned [[synod]] of all the Orthodox Christian hierarchs in the world. As the Ligonier meeting was planned, according to Fr. [[Nicholas Apostola]] (who helped plan the meeting, served as secretary at the meeting, and drafted the original versions of its statements), there was a deliberate decision to base much of the language and conduct of the Ligonier Meeting on the language that had been coming out of Chambésy.

===At Ligonier===