BELGOROD, Russia — A regional court in Russia has dissolved a functioning Methodist congregation because it did not file a report about its annual activities on time. Deprived of legal personality status, the church may now only gather for worship at premises provided by its existing members. Methodist Pastor Vladimir Pakhomov said the Belgorod branch of the Federal Registration Service “even told me there was no point in attending court, as the church would be closed in any case.”
The court did not — contrary to a Constitutional Court decision — attempt to find out whether the church operates. “They could close us and others down in exactly the same way. Many registered communities don’t submit this information in time as they see it as a formality,” a local Baptist pastor commented. The Methodists did not submit their report on time due to the near impossibility of Protestants finding a suitable legal address in Belgorod Region. “We sent them letters, two official warnings,” a local official said. “When we got no response we had no choice but to take them to court.”
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