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Russian Slavic Churches in America

It has been a tremendous joy talking to Russian pastors and leaders from all over the world.  Giving my Slavic background, I was able to understand the problem's Slavic community in the states experiencing now.  That was a sobering and confident reality check for me personally. 

I have been born in Russia and immigrate to the states when I was eight years old.   When I was twenty or twenty one, I experienced a desire to read and study the bible.  Inevitably, that lead me to serve in Slavic Baptist church that I visited.  I grew up in Russian church's; I got saved in Russian church; I married in Russian church; I grew spiritually in Russian church.  No need to say more on my ties to Russian church.  Writing this post personally is not an intellectual approach reacting to the problem that Russian churches face today, but a loving and a prayerful heart concern.  What do Slavic Russian Christian communities experiencing in the states now?

Well, the sobering moment comes from seeing how most Russian speaking church will problem die out in the next 15 to 20 years.  This prediction was made by en elderly Russian man, who has been involved in Slavic community for years.  He mentioned Russian immigrants in Canada and how slowly they died out–stop existing after a while.  Grand kids are growing up and having Russian school in churches won't solve the problem.  Where do grand kids go?  Either stop going to church or go to an English church (best scenario).

But what comforts me is knowing that the gospel is not giving to a certain race, but to all the nations.  So, every Russian baptist church need to answer a question: what is important for the Russian Baptist church?  Russian language, culture or the mission that Christ lays out for the church? "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit" (Matt 28:19).  Most often when there is a conversation on the direction of the Russian speaking church, the focus is on the youth.  It involves preserving the Russian language and the culture.

This elderly person used Swedish evangelical churches as example.  When they immigrated to America, they decided to transition to English speaking church, he continued to say.  Right now, the Swedish evangelical denomination are influential in America.

Going back to the scriptures and learning from the scriptures is the only way out of the crisis.  But, will there be a Russian baptist church that listens?  Or, Russian language and culture more important than the gospel?  Just remember, this is not about Russian Baptist church, this is about Christ church!

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