“We saw this light in their eyes. They were so excited . . . not only about the power of God’s Word, but also the attitude of the trainers who shared humble fellowship with them.”
– Vladimir, Program Director
When WordPartners first sought to begin training in the southwest of Russia, the chief pastor in the area sent mostly young people involved in ministry instead of more experienced, influential pastors who could then multiply the work.
Right away, though, said Vladimir, WordPartners’ program director for Russia, “we saw this light in their eyes. They were so excited . . . not only about the power of God’s Word, but also the attitude of the trainers who shared humble fellowship with them.”
When the chief pastor of that area saw the transformation in the young people, he asked for another group to be started right away with some of the experienced pastors in the area. The workshops have helped them “to really love biblical theology. . . . They’ve heard the term, but no one explained it to them.” And this is so key, says Vladimir, because “the work needs to be Spirit led and Christ centered and leave secondary traditions aside. . . . It has to be about the power of the gospel, and we hope the training will help this situation.”
In other places in Russia, Vladimir has seen God’s Word do this exact work. “Pastors come to realize that their role is not about administration but a right focus on preaching God’s Word and training other leaders. This is a crucial change that is starting to take place.”
