Made to Be a Kingdom

Where Is the Church? Matthew 16:18, the Confession of Peter, and Paschal Victory

In this episode, Fr. Harry and Fr. Anthony slow down over Christ’s words in Matthew 16— especially the phrase “my Church”—to clarify that the Church is first Christ’s possession and work, not ours. They trace how Orthodox ecclesiology comes into focus through text and context: Christ’s confession, the meaning of rock (Petros/Petra), and the claim that the Church’s “locus” is the faith revealed by the Father and preserved in the Church. Finally, they bring Caesarea Philippi into view as a charged setting—“the gates of Hades”—so that Christ’s promise reads not as abstract poetry but as a Paschal announcement: hell will not prevail.

Before Pentecost: The Church Older Than the Sun and Moon

Pentecost isn't the Church's birthday: the Church precedes it, stretching back to creation itself, angels, prophets, patriarchs, and is revealed most clearly in Christ and the Church's liturgical witness. Pentecost inaugurates the apostolic priesthood and Eucharistic life, and the episode invites listeners to be formed by the prayers and hymnography where Scripture becomes prayer and grace supplies what is lacking.

Whose Church Is It? Belonging, Not Owning

In this New Year episode, Fr. Harry and Fr. Anthony challenge the casual habit of saying “my church” by reframing ecclesial identity: the Church is of God—not our possession, but the place to which we belong, purchased by Christ’s blood (Acts 20) and built as a household on the apostolic foundation with Christ as cornerstone (Eph. 2:18–20). They trace how the Church’s catholic “wholeness” is Trinitarian—the Body of Christ, the temple of the Holy Spirit, and the people of the Father—made real through baptism, chrismation, and the Eucharist. Along the way, they clarify Christ’s unique mediation (mesitēs), show why the Church can be called “of Christ” without diminishing the Trinity, and close with Theophany’s vivid sacramental imagery—especially the ancient practice of breathing/blowing over the waters as participation, not mere remembrance.

Scaling the Parish Without Losing the Family

As parishes grow, the priest-and-everyone model that once felt like “family” can become unsustainable—especially in catechesis, confession, and pastoral care. Fr. Anthony and Fr. Harry explore practical tools (from scheduling systems to mentoring structures) and historical models of catechesis to show why “one size fits all” is neither Orthodox nor realistic. The goal is not efficiency for its own sake, but discernment: building ministries that preserve intimacy, prevent burnout, and help every member find their calling as the parish moves into a new season. Enjoy the show!

Holy Things for the Holy: Offices, Fatherhood, and the Shared Vocation of the Faithful

Recorded in person during a seminary week at South Bound Brook, Fr. Anthony Perkins and Fr. Harry Linsenbigler reflect on two passages from In Every Church (p. 78) to clarify how Christ “fills” every ministry in the Church—from the faithful to readers, deacons, presbyters, and bishops—without making ordination a ladder of personal holiness. They challenge a common misreading (including selective appeals to Pseudo-Dionysius) that treats ecclesial rank as a holiness metric, instead, grounding the Church’s true unity in the liturgy’s confession that “One is holy” and in the equal reception of Christ in Holy Communion. Finally, they frame clerical fatherhood as a derivative grace rather than a personal possession, urging vigilance against pride and despondency, and calling parishes to a shared culture of mutual support so that every vocation—ordained or lay—can be exercised as service within the royal priesthood of the faithful.