Archon Candidate Credentials Form
2024 Credential Form to be an Archon
One of the greatest honors bestowed on a layman of the Great Church of Christ, and one of the most sobering responsibilities which an Orthodox communicant can assume, is to be named an Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Each year, the Archon Offikion is conferred upon a select group of churchmen by the Ecumenical Patriarch, as represented by his Exarch, the Archbishop of America. The Bylaws of the Order limit the number of new Archons to no more than 20 annually.
Candidates who are passionate in their desire to serve the needs of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and fight for its religious freedom, may do so by the Candidate Credentials Form. A candidate’s form must be endorsed by their Hierarch, Priest, a Nominating Archon and an Endorsing Archon.
Article IX, Section 3 of the Bylaws of the Order of St. Andrew specifies that a candidate must possess the following qualifications:
- He is a practicing and devout Orthodox Christian and a member in good standing of his local Church.
- He has demonstrated love, devotion and support to the Ecumenical Patriarchate and its institutions.
- By his deeds and record, he has demonstrated support, devotion and sustained service to his local parish.
- He has never been convicted of any crime and enjoys the unqualified respect and high regard of his fellow parishioners.
- He has demonstrated leadership qualities and achieved success in his chosen field of endeavor.
- At all times he has comported himself with a high degree of dignity and in a manner consistent with the mission of the Order and the purposes and objectives contained in these Bylaws.
- Following his investiture, he shall become a vibrant and enthusiastic member of the Order, who will respond in a positive way to the appeals of his Regional Commander and of the National Council.
- Generally, his investiture will be a credit to the Order and a positive influence in the accomplishment of the Order’s purposes and objectives.
If a Member of the Order wishes to nominate a candidate, he should first judge the candidate by the above criteria. In addition, the nominating Archon should assess the Archon candidate in the context of the following concerns:
- Does the candidate have a record of service to his local parish, metropolis, national church and/or the Ecumenical Patriarchate?
- Is the candidate willing and able to give of his Time, Talent, and Treasure, to the best of his ability, in advocating the cause of religious liberty for the Ecumenical Patriarchate and serve the needs of the Holy Mother Church?
- Is he willing and able to speak to local, state, and/or federal officials in support of religious freedom for the Ecumenical Patriarchate?
- Is the candidate willing and able to visit or participate in pilgrimages to the Ecumenical Patriarchate?
- How can the candidate advance the cause of the Ecumenical Patriarchate?
After all completed nominations are received, the National Council will review the nominations and submit worthy candidates to Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, the Exarch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate who will review each candidate and then submit the final list to His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew for Patriarchal approval.
If there are any questions, please contact the National Archon Office at info@archons.org
This is the Credentials form required for candidacy to the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle, Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in America. It is open to any eligible Orthodox Christian churchman. Two current Archons must endorse your candidacy by writing recommendation letters. In addition, letters of recommendation must be received by your Parish Priest and the local Hierarch of the Metropolis, or jurisdiction. Your first step in the recommendation process is to complete the form by clicking the Candidate Credentials Form button above. In particular, your answers to the questions posed at the end of the Credentials form are extremely important in the process. Upon completion of your form, click the Submit button, which automatically sends your form to the National Office. You will then reach out to your Nominating Archon and Endorsing Archon, requesting Recommendation Letters, and ask them to visit archons.org/candidate-credentials and click on the Recommendation Letter button, found below. Those letters, after completed, will automatically be forwarded to the National Archon Office. The Regional Commander will then reach out to your Parish Priest and Hierarch for their recommendation letters.
A Recommendation Letter for candidacy to the Order of Saint Andrew must be completed by the following individuals: 1. Nominating Archon; 2. Endorsing Archon; 3. Parish Priest; and, 4. Hierarch of the Metropolis or jurisdiction for the application process to be complete. Once completed, please click the Submit button and your recommendation letter will be automatically received by the National Archon Office.
To be filled out by the Regional Commander, once he has received the Archon Candidate Credentials Form from the National Office.
