Siberia (July 2006)

Siberia has always been about extreams. If this northern-European land mess were to separate from Russia, it would be the world's largest country. Stretching from deserts to forest to frozen tundra, temperatures plummet to -22 F in the winter and climb to around 86 F in the summer. In Siberia's largest city, Novosibirsk, there are also places of extreme poverty alongside million-dollar villas and people with four-wheel-drive Land-cruisers. And despite a nominal Russion Orthodoxy, the city of .5 million also has an extreme need for the Gospel of Jesus Christ to touch and transform lives.

Colin and Bron Cleaver are the leaders of Operation Mobilization's Russion team in Novosibirsk, which work with the Union of Evangelical Baptist Churches in and around the city. They explain that while these churches have sound theology and leaders of great integrity, they have greatly suffered from state persecution and emigration.

Many Christians are leaving Novosibirsk and their churches for a more comfortable life, usually in Germany or the USA. This emigration has left a great need in the Siberian churches for qualified, motivated Christ-focused leaders. Typically those able to emigrate are well organized, motivated, middle aged, married couples with children. In other words, those who you would normally expect to take leadership roles in their churches.

In this difficult situation, however, there are signs of life and hope for the future.  Many churches have drug & alcohol rehabilitation programs. There is also a growing evangelistic work among students. It is in there young people that the OM team has decided to invest its time, energy and resources. Half of the OM team is committed to evangelism, mainly among the 140,000+ students in the city. The other half of the team is now focusing on setting up a special Discipleship Center to train and disciple these young converts.

The idea behind the Discipleship Center is to provide a place where young Christians can spend an intensive six months studying and grouping themselves in the Bible. They will also learn how to use and develop their gifts and learn practical skills in evangelism and the discipling of others. The team plans to accomplish these goals by ofering a mixture of classroom teachings and practical ministry experience.

Students will live in the center. Each morning will be devoted to Bible study and basic theology, with classes tought both by OM team members and local Russion pastors and teachers. One weekend each month the students will then be sent out two by two to other towns and villages in the Novosibirsk oblast (county or state) to work in the many small and struggling churches which already exist or are in the process of being planted.

OM Russia plans to accept the first intake of students for the six-month course this September. Of course, there are many challenges in setting up such a center, not the least of them financial, in a country where many are still living pretty mcuh from one day to the next. But with God's help and blessing they are confident that the cernter will soon be able to start serving the local church in Novosibirsk.

Click here to learn more about OM Russia


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