On February 14th, 2026, exactly two years passed since the establishment of the Missionary Department of the Archdiocese of Belgrade-Karlovci by His Holiness, the Serbian Patriarch Porfirije, with whose blessing and under whose patronage it has continuously operated to this day. In accordance with established practice, the Missionary Department of the AEM presents, on the anniversary of its founding, a brief report on the missionary activities carried out over the past year:
-The Section for Parish Mission completed the first cycle of its mentoring lectures for priests of the Archdiocese with up to three years of ministry. Together with them, practical topics were addressed, including catechetical work of priests, homiletics, the premarital examination and the marriage service, the funeral service, and the celebration of the Divine Liturgy.
-The Section for External Mission organized seven thematic lectures in English within the framework of the NevskyTalks project, intended for foreign nationals residing in the Archdiocese of Belgrade-Karlovci who are interested in Orthodox Christianity. Within the Chinese-language Mission Program, an introductory Chinese language course for Orthodox missionaries was launched, and a bilingual Serbian-Chinese Orthodox prayer book was prepared, currently in the status of an internal document.
-The Section for Dialogue in the Public Sphere organized seven panel discussions over the past year as part of its regular dialogue program with Serbian intellectuals on various topics, especially in the field of the relationship between faith and science. A new forum format entitled *Book – A Starting Point for Conversation* was also launched, within which two forums were held. In addition to these activities, the Section’s coordinator, besides numerous media appearances, delivered ten lectures outside the established forum programs.
-The Section for Apologetic Mission launched last year the Program for Supporting Victims of Sectarian and Manipulative Activity, within which more than sixty individuals sought professional assistance, and nearly one hundred advisory and consultative sessions were held. Members of the Section participated in last year’s international FECRIS conference in Brussels. A visit by Professor Alexander Dvorkin was also organized, during which several internal lectures and consultative meetings were held on the Department’s premises. The portal *Apologetic Word* (see below under Internet projects) was launched. Members of the Section were very active in the media and delivered twelve lectures on apologetic topics.
-The Section for Electronic Mission conducted systematic visits to Belgrade churches during the second half of the past year, with the aim of assessing the state of parish websites, identifying potential issues, and defining steps for improving the online presence. A total of 23 Belgrade churches were visited, and professional consultations were conducted with clergy and parishioners responsible for maintaining parish websites. These visits and consultations were preceded by a thorough analysis focusing on content, structure, timeliness, technical functionality, and website security. For each individual parish visit, a detailed and precisely structured report was prepared, serving as a basis for further improvement in this field.
The Missionary Department of the AEM currently has five distinct missionary projects operating within the aforementioned Sections. Over the past year, the following progress has been made in improving existing and launching new missionary projects:
The internet portal Kinonija (kinonija.rs), operating within the Section for Electronic Mission, currently has around 80 volunteer collaborators, including approximately 50 authors. Over the past year, more than 1,700 original posts in Serbian have been published on the portal, and an English version of the website has also been launched. Publications are categorized as follows: Written Word (with subcategories From the Editor’s Pen, Theology, Liturgics, History), Living Word (with subcategories From the Ambo, From the Chair, Conversations, Broadcasts), Interviews, Current Affairs, Catechesis, Our Recommendation, Conversations on Feasts, Interpretation of the Liturgy, Gospel of the Day with Commentary, and Feasts. The Kinonija portal has developed excellent cooperation with several church media outlets.
The internet portal Apologetic Word (apologetskoslovo.rs) was launched last year in memory of Protopresbyter-Stavrophor Prof. Dr. Lazar Milin and operates within the Section for Apologetic Mission. Nearly 80 original contributions have been published on the portal—academic papers, analyses on sectarian and cult-related topics, critical reviews, advice, and presentations. The portal aims, in the foreseeable future, to become the largest database of apologetic texts in the Serbian language, accessible to both the professional and the wider public.
Within the internet project A Tree by the Spring, 52 original units of verse-by-verse interpretation of the New Testament have been published, covering in detail the interpretation of the Gospel according to Matthew, chapters 4 through 10. The texts are generally 4 to 6 standard journalistic pages in length and are particularly suitable for use in radio broadcasts.
The School of Parenting project was launched at the end of last year in cooperation with the Committee for Religious Education of the Archdiocese of Belgrade-Karlovci. The Missionary Department provides expert lecturers who, in primary schools where invited by the administration, deliver lectures on parenting for interested parents of students. Thus far, five expert lectures on parenting have been held in Belgrade primary schools, and the project is still in its initial phase of development.
The Missionary Seminar project was launched in memory of Protopresbyter-Stavrophor Ljubodrag Petrović. The seminar is conceived as a permanent four-day professional missionary gathering held at the end of each year. The first seminar included training in the principles and methods of external mission, electronic mission, apologetic mission, and engagement in the public sphere. More than seventy participants took part in the first Missionary Seminar, including one archimandrite.
The Missionary Department of the AEM regularly publishes all its activities on its official electronic presentation (at misija.rs in Serbian and mission.rs in English), along with accompanying accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and X. The Department regularly receives media support from Television Hram and Radio Slovo Ljubve, with whom it maintains exceptionally good cooperation, and fruitful media collaboration has also been established with Radio Belgrade 2.
God willing, the Missionary Department of the Archdiocese of Belgrade-Karlovci will, with the blessing of its founder, His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije, continue in the forthcoming period to improve existing and initiate new missionary activities, about which the church and the wider public will be duly informed.
