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'''Evangelism''' or ''witnessing'' or ''bearing witness'' to Orthodox Christianity is the process of bringing Orthodox teachings to people who are outside of the [[Church]], in hopes that they will accept these teachings and decide to become a part of the Church. In Greek, the word ''witness'' is μαρτυρια, ''martyria'', from which English derives the word ''martyr''. Martyrs gave their lives as a witness for the Gospel of Christ. In Othodox Christianity, then, witness is primarily a character of one's life more than a program of [[proselytism]]. Still, individual acts of evangelism can result from deliberate [[missionary]] work or evolve from a casual discussion about faith between an Orthodox Christian and a person (or people) outside the Orthodox Church.
A witness for Orthodoxy can be any member of the Church, clergy or lay; in any case, they should be worshipping with the Church regularly, and observing all normal practices of the Church as practiced locally and with the guidance of their spiritual father. During discussions about the Orthodox faith, a prepared witness will know Orthodox doctrine and be versed in Orthodox apologetics in order to best answer questions. It can also be helpful if the witness is familiar with various non-Orthodox ideologies.
A witness for Orthodoxy can and should pray for God's help in his or her task. Evangelism should be conducted out of love, and should be personal.
Orthodoxy teaches that a person must accept faith freely; faith cannot be coerced in any way. Such a conversion would be insincere and invalid.
