Why We Must Train Ministers For Russia

Due to 70 years of Communist Captivity (1917—1987) “the Church in Russia has suffered the most severe and sustained persecution of any nation in recent history. … It is reckoned 200,000 Christian leaders were martyred and a further 500,000 imprisoned…[today] over 90% of Russians have no meaningful link with a church—whether Orthodox or not.” (Operation World encyclopedia, the 21st century edition, page 541-542).

To reach this 90% we must continue to train leaders and ministers for Russia and the former Soviet Union. How do we do this? Through the Moscow Evangelical Christian Seminary (www.moscowseminary.ru).

Established in 1993, the Moscow Seminary is an evangelical conservative school with an excellent history 
of training such ministers. It is registered by the Ministry of Justice and is licensed to train Christian ministers 
by the Ministry of Education of Russia. The Seminary is accredited to teach Ministry/Theology by the Eurasian Accrediting Association of Evangelical Schools. It trains over a 130 students from Belarus, Ukraine, Lithuania, Armenia, Moldova, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Russia (itself – an 11 times zones country).

The Moscow Seminary produces a fruit worthy of the Lord. Of the 145 graduates: 18% are full time pastors, 42% are part time pastors, 20% are on staff at parachurch organizations, and 6% are missionaries. Our prayer is to continue in this trend, training more and more servants for Christ. The cost of training a student-minister 
at the Moscow Seminary is US$4,000 per year (for three years). This sum (or any share of it) is a serious investment. And so, please, consider the following:

• Your investment is cost-efficient. It costs 7 times less to train a minister in Russia than in the States and 12 times less than sending a missionary to Russia.
• Your investment is secure. Statistically, 9 out of 10 students sent to the USA to study will not return to Russia.
• Your investment is profitable and long-lasting (you invest in one student but when the student graduates and plants a church, hundreds of people come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.).
• Your investment is relevant and effective (not only do local student-ministers know the local language, customs, and culture but they also travel freely without the need to obtain passport 
and visa, giving them great advantage over foreign missionaries).

“The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest" (Matthew 9:37—38).

To advance the Gospel in Russia and the former Soviet Union through the Moscow Seminary please, 
do one of the following:

1. Donate online via https://onemissionsociety.org/give/express-give (project 301710 Moscow Seminary)
2. Make a check payable to One Mission Society, put 301710 Moscow Seminary in the memo line 
of the check, and mail the check to: One Mission Society, 941 Fry Road, Greenwood, IN 46142 USA (donations are tax-deductible and will be properly 501c3 receipted by One Mission Society)

Please, read what some of the students/graduates have experienced during their time of study:

• "After the Seminary I will be planting churches. As we study church planting I am getting more 
and more inspired about my future ministry.” Alan Chikaev (Kazakhstan)
• “I have had an opportunity to evangelize in nearly 40 cities of Russia. My son also wants to study 
at this Seminary.” Victor Kabachevsky (Russia)
• “My primary calling is ministry to the Muslims. I am learning how bring them to Christ.” Parakhat Yangibaev (Uzbekistan)
• “Skills I gained at the Seminary help me to bring deaf people to Christ.” David Gushin (Russia)
• “Church Planting and Christian Education courses are of a great help. I attend a class and practice it in my ministry the very next day.” Ilya Vasilyev (Russia)
• “I came to the Seminary to become a better minister. God is preparing me to train missionaries 
to Siberia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan.” Artem Popov (Belarus)
• “In Pastoral Theology class I have realized how much responsibility being a pastor requires. 
In the future I would like to become a pastor.” Ramil Khanov (Tatarstan)
• “The Seminary has taught me the most simple things, such as humbleness, trust, zeal, 
and obedience, without which serving the Lord is impossible in principle. It is exactly these disciplines that have been the most important ones in the long run.” Larissa Zhukova, editor-in-chief of the Narnia Magazine & director of the Revelation Christian youth camp (Russia)
• “I highly appreciate the years I spent at the Seminary even now, twelve years after I graduated. While studying, I experienced knowing God to such a depth and having fellowship with Him 
to the extent I doubt I could have had anywhere else.” Pavel Usishev, pastor of the Holy Trinity church & host of the Hope for a Soul program at Theos Radio (Russia).

Truly, these show the Lord’s commandments “Go and make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:19) 
and “You shall be My witnesses … to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8) in action.

It is great to be on the same—Jesus’—team with you!

Sasha