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Theo Nicolakis, Director of National Ministries and Chief Information Officer of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, delivered an afternoon keynote address on June 30 during the 48th Biennial Clergy-Laity Congress in Cleveland, Ohio.
Appointed by His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, Nicolakis oversees and coordinates the Archdiocese’s National Ministries in service of their core mission: to equip ministry leaders and workers for building up the Body of Christ. His address, “National Ministries: Building up Parishes,” brought together themes of ministry strategy, parish leadership formation, Scripture engagement, and practical resources for communities across the Archdiocese.
Nicolakis opened his keynote by citing direction from Archbishop Elpidophoros, describing the role of the Archdiocese’s National Ministries as supplying parishes with what they need for “fruitful and satisfying parish life,” while being willing to “sunset programs and aspects of ministries that are not impactful.”
He outlined six pillars guiding the National Ministries’ work: listening, validating, convening, training, equipping, and measuring impact.
Nicolakis introduced Fr. Peter Orfanakos, President of the Archdiocesan Presbyters Council (APC), to speak briefly about the council’s ongoing role as a conduit between parish priests and the National Ministries. Over the past 13 months, the APC has met regularly with Nicolakis to relay parish-level needs, including a May 2025 meeting that produced a mandate covering a new mobile app, newcomer acclimation, video content, bulletin resources, music ministry support, parish engagement, and financial transparency.
Nicolakis shared how each request has been addressed, including a new financial transparency breakdown on the Archdiocesan website and grants secured through Leadership 100 for app development and video content. He also cited a CARA (Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate) survey of 1,856 ministry leaders and clergy as a major new data source informing the National Ministry priorities, with full results to be presented tomorrow.
Dr. Drew Baker was called to the stage to announce a new K–12 Sunday school curriculum developed by the Department of Religious Education. Created with a team of priests, theologians, religious educators, hierarchs, parents, and teachers, the curriculum offers 30 flexible, standards-based lessons per grade level, designed to accommodate combined classes and varying parish schedules, with free downloadable materials now available at goarch.org/sundayschool.
Melpomeni Murdakes, Director of Parish Planned Giving, discussed the ministry’s work since its 2024 launch, including partnerships with 180 parishes. She announced a new matching grant program, funded through Leadership 100, with applications opening after Clergy-Laity Congress.
Elaine Allen, Archdiocesan Council Treasurer, gave an overview of new initiatives in Hellenic education, including survey work and focus groups conducted to identify gaps in teacher recruitment, retention, and funding for Greek schools. She announced the establishment of a Hellenic Education Fund, begun with an initial $1 million gift, and outlined plans for a new scholarship-granting organization that will allow individuals to make tax-credited contributions to support need-based scholarships at participating Greek schools.
Returning to the podium, Nicolakis previewed several new digital resources from the Department of Internet Ministries. The Digital Chant Stand is being reorganized into three tailored versions—for clergy, chanters, and parishioners. He also unveiled a forthcoming Clergy Service Builder, which will allow clergy to generate complete, customized liturgical service texts by entering basic service details, with output available as a print-ready PDF or editable Word document.
Nicolakis also announced the release of newly-recorded chant content covering all eight modes of Orthros, including hymns not typically included in standard Greek editions, recorded and translated into English with text matching the Digital Chant Stand. As of the morning of the address, 16 albums comprising more than 400 hymns had been released on major streaming platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music, funded by Leadership 100, with a Holy Week collection to follow.
Responding to another CARA survey finding, Nicolakis introduced “Faith in Life,” a revived series of 70 articles and pamphlets designed to educate parishioners and inquirers on Orthodox faith and practice. The materials will be available as downloadable PDFs and through bulk ordering, with samples on display in the Congress Ministry Pavilion.
Nicolakis announced plans to reorganize the Archdiocese website around ministry-specific audiences, each with foundational guides for starting and running ministries at the parish level. He described a new “Ministry 311” support concept and a forthcoming “Ministry Accelerator” initiative that will catalog and share effective parish-level practices across the Archdiocese, based on a request from Archbishop Elpidophoros.
Nicolakis disclosed that the Archdiocese has been invited to apply for a $5 million grant from the Lilly Endowment to support the establishment of new churches, with funds split between infrastructure and training for clergy and lay leaders and a financial support structure for new and developing communities.
Nicolakis previewed a short clip from a new series of 90-second social media videos, funded by Leadership 100, addressing common theological misconceptions about Orthodox Christianity. The videos will direct viewers via QR code to a landing page to help individuals locate a canonical Orthodox parish.
He also highlighted continued growth of parish communications support with the free, weekly Diakonia bulletin resource, which includes scriptural reflections, original artwork, Hellenic-language word studies, and activities for children.
Closing his remarks, Nicolakis encouraged attendees to make full use of the Congress’s Ministry Pavilion, where subject matter experts across 14 areas of ministry are available to consult with clergy and lay leaders. He urged delegates to identify concrete action items from session descriptions and to use Thursday’s closing session, led by Executive Director of the Crossroad Institute Ann Bezzerides, to translate what they’ve learned into parish-level action plans.
Nicolakis closed by thanking Archbishop Elpidophoros, the Holy Eparchial Synod, Leadership 100, and the National Ministries staff, expressing hope that the address conveyed “the flavor of what is coming from your National Ministries to serve you, to build up the Body of Christ.”
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