Best Orthodox Podcasts for Converts to the Faith

I was received into the Church at thirty-one, and the years leading up to that day involved a lot of confusion, some genuine grief over leaving my previous community, and a slow, sometimes halting sense of finally coming home. Podcasts made that season less lonely than it otherwise would have been. Start with Orthodox Christian Podcast — Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music — which speaks directly and honestly to the convert experience.

The Particular Shape of the Convert Journey

Converting into Orthodoxy involves a specific kind of disorientation that cradle Orthodox Christians, however sympathetic, often can’t fully understand from the inside. You’re learning an entirely new liturgical language, new theological categories, new practices around fasting and prayer, often while navigating real relational strain with family or friends from your previous tradition who don’t understand the change. Good convert-focused content names this honestly rather than presenting conversion as a simple, uncomplicated upgrade.

What to Look For

• Honest testimony content, including real struggle and doubt during the process, not just triumphant “I found the truth” narratives.
• Practical guidance on navigating relationships with family and friends from your previous tradition.
• Patience with the learning curve, explaining terminology and practice clearly without assuming prior familiarity.
• A range of convert stories — from various Protestant traditions, from Catholicism, from no faith background at all — since the specific challenges differ meaningfully depending on where you’re coming from.

The List

1. Orthodox Christian Podcast

Regularly features content that speaks directly to the convert experience without either romanticizing it or treating converts as perpetual outsiders who’ll never fully belong. Spotify · Apple Podcasts · Amazon Music.

2. New believer-focused content

Overlaps significantly with the convert journey, particularly the early orientation stage. See best Christian podcasts for new believers.

3. Catholic-Orthodox comparison content

Particularly relevant for converts coming from a Catholic background specifically. See Top 10 Catholic Podcasts Compared to Orthodox Podcasts.

4. Saints content

Many converts find particular resonance with saints who had significant conversion experiences of their own. See best Orthodox podcasts about the saints.

5. Divine Liturgy explainer content

Understanding the actual service you’re now regularly attending is often the most urgent practical need. See best podcasts explaining the Divine Liturgy.

On Grief During Conversion

Something I don’t think gets talked about enough: even a joyful, fully embraced conversion often involves real grief — for the community you’re leaving, for relationships that grow strained, for a way of understanding faith that shaped you for years and now feels incomplete or even wrong in places. This grief doesn’t mean you’re making a mistake. It means you’re a whole person experiencing a genuinely significant life transition, and it deserves acknowledgment rather than suppression in the name of convert enthusiasm.

Avoiding “Convert Zeal” Pitfalls

A common and understandable pattern among converts is a kind of overcorrecting zeal — becoming more rigidly traditionalist than cradle Orthodox Christians around you, or looking down on less “intense” practice in others. Good podcast content, and honestly good spiritual direction generally, will gently push back on this tendency. Genuine humility, not performed intensity, is the actual goal, and it’s a lesson many converts, myself included, have had to learn slowly and sometimes uncomfortably.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does the catechumenate process typically take for converts? This varies by individual circumstance and parish, but commonly ranges from several months to a year or more, allowing genuine time for formation rather than a rushed decision.

Will I be baptized or chrismated as a convert? This depends on your previous baptism — if you were baptized with water in the name of the Trinity in your previous tradition, chrismation alone is often sufficient; your priest will guide you through the specific process appropriate to your background.

How do I handle family members who are upset about my conversion? This is genuinely difficult and common; patience, continued love, and avoiding defensive or combative posture tends to serve relationships better long-term than trying to win the argument in the moment. Many convert-focused podcast episodes address this specific challenge directly.

Start with Orthodox Christian Podcast — Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music — and know that whatever confusion or grief you’re carrying through this journey, you’re not walking it alone.