Source: Brian Stiller for World Evangelical Alliance, December 3, 2021
In late November, I met with Ukrainian church leaders to discuss matters of unity and public witness among evangelicals. On a Sunday morning, I walked into a sun-filled sanctuary, alive with a surprisingly young crowd—the average age was probably around the mid-thirties. Worship at the Salvation Church in Kiev was enthusiastic, unabashed, and joyful, led by a worship team and band.
This was the very day on which we heard that Ukraine’s neighbor to the east had expanded its military presence, heightening fears of an imminent invasion. Yet in this country where Evangelicals represent about 4% of the nation’s population of 41 million, neither the geopolitical uncertainty nor the pandemic seemed to negatively impact church attendance. Following the service, we were taken to the construction site that will soon become a 4,500-seat sanctuary. That’s not exactly a sign that the church is about to go into hibernation or close its doors.
For much of the 20th century, [Ukraine] lived under tight Soviet political, economic, and ideological control. Churches were closed and pastors killed; many spent years in prison; congregations were driven apart by intimidation and spy networks.
As the Soviet empire crumbled and freedom seeped in, Evangelicals seized the opportunity to witness and provide Bible training. But here is what surprised me: Evangelicals in Ukraine care deeply about maintaining biblical orthodoxy but they also know that working constructively with the Orthodox, Catholics, Jews, and Muslims matters. In the aftermath of decades of subjugation, they had the courage and creativity to work with all religious groups, at a time when the Evangelical presence was ascending.
I’ve traveled to scores of countries, working among Evangelicals and other Christian communities, but I’ve not often seen anything parallel to this. When they are a minority, Evangelicals tend to keep an arm’s length from other Christian communities and other religions, due to concerns over dilution of theology and waning of witness.
I’m writing this because it is a reminder of what spiritual resilience can accomplish. Ukrainian Evangelicals are more than surviving. Their fervent faith, evangelistic outreach, and energetic worship could offer a positive example as new mutations of the coronavirus wind their way from region to region.