Seventh-day Adventist leaders in Moscow, Russia, announced this month that they have passed the half-way point in their effort to purchase 300 small houses in former Soviet countries to be used as churches.
Seventh-day Adventist leaders in Moscow, Russia, announced this month that they have passed the half-way point in their effort to purchase 300 small houses in former Soviet countries to be used as churches.
“As of this week, we have paid for 165 house churches,” said Ivan Ostrovsky, Global Mission director for Adventists in the Euro-Asia region. “Honestly, I’m even a little surprised and very thankful that we have accomplished so much in one year. Our young pastors are taking their work very seriously. They have a sense that they’re part of a historic movement.”
The 300 Churches Project was launched in March 2001 at Zaoksky Theological Seminary near Tula, Russia. More than 300 prospective pastors, known as Global Mission pioneers, completed intensive training over the summer and returned to their native countries to start member-led congregations in areas with no Adventist presence. In the final phase of the project, church members in Euro-Asia, North America, South America, and Europe are helping the new groups purchase small houses in which to meet.
“In some parts of our territory, religious groups are not allowed to exist unless they have their own building,” says Jeff Scoggins, who helps coordinate the project. Scoggins reports that the 300 pioneers have started a total of 901 Bible study groups in the past eight months, with a combined membership of more than 6,000. He says that all aspects of evangelism and nurture in the new congregations will be based on small groups that allow members to find support for their personal and spiritual lives.
At mid-year meetings in late May, regional Adventist leaders will meet in St. Petersburg, Russia, to discuss future plans for the 300 Churches Project. One major challenge is the development of sensitive and relevant ministries that meet the needs of diverse cultures throughout Euro-Asia.
“I have three main concerns,” says Ostrovsky. “First, Siberia. The churches and pastors are so isolated. Some are in places such as Kamchatka, which is accessible only by plane. Next, the southern countries of Central Asia and the Caucasus Mountains. There we face so many languages and backgrounds and obstacles to religious freedom. And third, the large cities of Euro-Asia. When we consider the huge population of a place like Moscow, we see that our church could do so much more for modern, secular people.”
In addition to coordinating Bible study and prayer groups, the 300 pioneers have been visiting homes in their neighborhoods and selling books on family, health, and spiritual topics. Some have spoken on local radio programs. Others have written newspaper columns. “These young people are working in their own countries, so they know what the people need,” says Ostrovsky. “When I visit the new groups and hear their ideas and see their energy, I’m amazed.”
Adventists in Euro-Asia hope to purchase house churches for each new congregation by autumn 2003. More news about the project may be found at www.tagnet.org/esd (click on church planting link).
