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The Door is Open
Posted: Wednesday, April 18, 2007
by Rick Lang.
Area Director Frank Martin created the position as Country Coordinator for Russia. The Lang's were chosen for this new work in 1998. God blessed as the Lang's developed an office staff and a permanent headquarters for the Assemblies' of God work in Russia. Since 1990 the A/G mission has been renting facilities and AGWM missionaries had various offices in different parts of this gigantic city.
The city of Moscow has around 13 million residents and congested streets loaded with cars, city buses, trolleys, vans, and subway trains. The drivers and pedestrians on a normal Moscow street hurry and scurry about, making our daily trip to the office, depending on where each missionary lives within the city, range from 45 minutes to 1 hour one way. God has given us the opportunity to buy part of an office building that houses all of the Assemblies of God missions and ministries together, under one roof. It is a great blessing to work in such close proximity to all of the following offices: Global publishing, International Correspondence Institute, Area Director of CIS/Baltic’s, European Russia Country Coordinator, Siberian Russia Country Coordinator, LIFE publishers, Least evangelised people group director, and the church offices of the Assemblies of God International Church. This project took an enormous about of time. All the coordination and the legal processes were well worth it resulting in better communication and unity among the A/G missionary family and ministries. It is evident that we as a mission are in a position situation to more effectively reach the people of Russia.
God has led the Assemblies to be involved in the education of Russian leaders: the A/G has two-campus schools; Moscow Theological Institute (MTI) and Siberian Theological Institute (STI). There are also extension schools in Krasnodar, Khabarovsk, Angarst, and Yekaterinburg, Russia.
The A/G mission has plans to strengthen the foundation of the regional church bible schools. There are close to 40 Regional Bible Schools connected with the local Russian Pentecostal churches.
Besides our campus Bible school, the Assemblies of God we are involved in monthly church leadership seminars. These seminars take place in many locations usually the capital city of the regions. These range from sunday school seminars, youth leader eminar, cell group seminars, women seminars, bishop seminars, pastor and church leader seminars, pastor/spouse seminars, marriage seminars, and many more.
Literature: each year the Assemblies of God partner with the Russian to distribute tons of evangelistic literature. We praise God and thank the Asseblies of God men's ministry for financing much the evanglistic and dicipleship literature.
Church Planting and development is the ministry that God has called the Lang's to serve. Russia in a church planting movement stage. It is much like the book of Acts. God is saving souls! No matter the size, whether a newly pioneered church or an existing church, every time the Word is preached it is common for the altars to become active. Whether it is one individual, a hand-full of people, or a multitude, the altars are alive with people repenting of sin and asking Christ to be their Saviour.
The Russian Church, which we work with, reports over 1,500 churches. This number has multiplied about 30 times since 1991. 80% of these 1,500 churches are located in European Russia and 20% of these churches are in Siberian Russia. The A/G mission has a goal of participating with the Regional Head Pastors to plant churches in Russia. God is faithful to provide pastors with a burden to go to unchurched areas and start a work of planting a new church. Still there are a number of unreached areas. Russia consists of 24,336 villages, 2,024 towns, and 1,089 major cities the goal of planting 1,500 churches may physically look as though we are barely making a dent in touching the nation of Russia in establishing churches. Yet, we serve the living/powerful God who is able to do far above what we are able to ask or think.
God has helped the Lang's to work with regional head pastors and mother churches to plant over 75 churches in yhe former USSR. Lord willing, the Lang's will continue to work in participation with our national churches to plant more churches in the coming years.
Did you know that less then 10% of our Russian congregations have their own church buildings. Almost weekly, it is reported that another congregation has lost its place of worship. There are many reason that can be sited, changing laws, the director of the rented facility declining to renew agreements to continue renting to the pastor. Homes of pastors have been burned down or their place of worship has been shot up. Persecution is far from being a thing of the past.
Plans are being developed and projects are underway to build church buildings or remodel existing buildings. The A/G mission is willing to participate with our national churches in this effort. God is laying it on the hearts of the people to move out of the rented halls and into purchased property that God has provided.
The Langs will work until the door closes and there are increasing signs that Russia is heading in that direction. While the door is open the country of Russia will be filled with christian education, church planting and development. The infrastructure will continue to become established and strengthened. The church construction and remodeling is also an area that concerns us.
We receive requests for $3,000-$10,000 building projects, often. We do what we can, but we cannot satisfy the majority of all these requests.
There is so little time and so much to do. We must work while it is day.
Today is a day of harvest in Russia |
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