History of the Congregation of Orthodox Christian Peoples

The God-prayers Movement originated simply as a consequence of life experiences of people who throughout their lives and frequent, long lasting wars they took parts in, felt the need for a moral revival and a vengeance through God and religion. Members of the movement felt David's thirst for God and tried so hard to come as close to Him as they could. Their eagerness and their bond God made them magnificent, but also hardly understood by others. The God-prayers were just like apostles and first Christians, who used to leave everything, so that they could reach the Christ.

Therefore, it is not strange that they too, like first Christians, in the eyes of their contemporaries, were seen as coarse and common people who displayed unreasonable piety." The word "Bogomoljac" which means “God-prayer” in our sentences was often accused of this excessive godliness, like it was possible to overdo prayers to the God. In fact, these people only wanted to feel the moral revival, to have the life worthy of godlike humans, and to bear the name of Christians with bright faces while standing in front of their Lord.

In his famous article, Bishop Atanasije Jevtich renders the God-prayers as "Religious - moral movement of Serbian orthodox peasants from the end of 19th and in the 20th century, which sprung up after frequent wars and great suffering of the people. The basic content of this laymen movement was a powerful vision of repentance and definitely inner experience of moral, personal, domestic and social life. They gathered around their churches and monasteries and their leader was a famous bishop from Ohrid - Zica area Nikolaj Velimirovic, as well as some others. This movement exists even today in some parts of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

Certainly, for the people of today, these ideas cannot live again in their original brilliance, but perhaps some of them will attract new admirers, maybe even those who lack sense for beautiful things in life.

Bishop Nikolaj described this development of the God-prayers Movement as a spontaneous movement of Serbian peasants, which was people’s response to modernism, liberalism, socialism, and other new century novelties that couldn't be understood and accepted by religious orthodox people. "Several respectful Serbian people, lightened by Christian spirit, could not watch how people abandoned the faith, so they decided alone in the name of God, to fight against the sinful life. They started, like apostles did, to preach the Christ doctrine of salvation and repentance among common people.

Ivan Blagojevic, a peasant, from village Ratari, Milan Bozoljac, an economist, from Jagodina and some other religious farmers joined the student of theology Dragoljub Milivojevic and decided to form a communion to spread and suggest the new conceptions of faith to people. They also wanted to print books and their own papers, spread their principles among people, and get new members in their flocks. That is how the congregation of religious people originated and soon after that got today’s name of the Congregation of Orthodox Christian Peoples. Later on, after 18 years of apostles’ committed work, a small community of Orthodox people turned into a great and powerful movement.

Today, there are several hundred thousands of members who publish two papers each month, The Small Missionary and The Big Missionary. The circulation goes up to 50,000 per month. Today, it is not only the communion of farmers, but of many educated people throughout the country who are all in the Christian row.”


Protojerej Aleksa Todorovic (1899-1990), one of the closest assistants of Bishop Nikolaj in leading the God-prayers Movement		Jovan Rapajic (1910-1945)		Father Justin Popovic with his students (from left to right: Nikola Udicki, Ljubisav Vojinovic and Tihomir Kostic).

Lives of those people are directed to a systematical and constant battle against evil. They wanted to be successful in their battle, so that they were seeking to establish even stronger connection with God then before, as well as a connection between one another. That is why many separate religious communities united into bigger ones, and they are all known today as one unique movement and congregation whose members fight for great ideals by which they were always led.

It was a great mercy of the God that Bishop Nikolaj accepted to care for God-prayers and commit all his life to this movement. He deeply understood all their natural, pure impulses, but he also knew about many obstacles that were surrounding them, so that he decided to take care of these people with all the power God gave him. He wanted them to have a pure orthodox religion and to be the members of the church among their own nation, without singling out of a mass, and without forming separate communities. That was not an easy task. Without Bishop Nikolaj, the God-prayers Movement would have been put to many temptations, and who knows what the outcome of those could have been. Thanks to his work mainly, we can speak today about the moral revival of the members of the God-prayers. They were all the very examples of an accomplished task. With all his strength, Bishop Nikolaj fought for his God-prayers. He advised them not to misuse their pride and eagerness, and not to use haughtiness in their faith, but only to be the humble members of the church, as well as the first assistants to their priests in spreading and strengthening faith that means life.

During the process of formation, members were not numerous, but they were great believers. Later on, their number increased, so that they had congregations all over our Kingdom (1920-1941), and also in other countries were Serbs lived, such as the U.S.A. and Romania. The greatest number of them were farmers among whom they originated, but later there were many workers, and also students, intellectuals and officers. Than the year 1941. came, and brought us the World War II, which was a great tragedy for the people.

What happened to the God-prayers? They all stayed on a battlefield and fought against evil in them and around them. They could not gather as they did before, but they worked through the entire period in their families, nearest churches and monasteries. Their work and their diligence resulted in many great things that we have today.