The assignment was to do a midterm report on the three-way partnership between the Baptist Union of Ukraine, Southern Baptist representatives serving in that country and the Alabama Baptist State Convention. The result is the 11 stories about work in this former Soviet republic published in this issue of The Alabama Baptist.
In this column, I would like to share some personal reflections, things that are purely personal, which makes them inappropriate for news stories.
1. Foremost is a high appreciation for the Baptist representatives serving in Ukraine. For 30 years, it has been my privilege to visit international missions fields. Never have I left without a deep appreciation and respect for the men and women, together with their children, who have followed God’s call to fields of service outside the United States. This trip was no exception.
Baptist representatives are not all cut from the same cloth. Their personalities, gifts and relationship skills are just as varied as their physical appearances. But all share a common commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ and a sense of calling that compels them to serve on foreign fields.
Living in any foreign country is challenging. The language is different. Cultural mores are different. Social expectations are different. Physical mobility is different. It takes untold energy just to live. To live and to minister at the same time is something not everyone can do.
2. Generally Southern Baptists hold their international representatives in high esteem. That makes most serving abroad uncomfortable. As one said, “They don’t know we are just regular people struggling to be faithful Christians.”
Sometimes the view of representatives is not so high. One representative said a neighboring pastor asked him why he was going overseas. “You’ve got the ability to make it here. You don’t have to go to Ukraine,” the pastor reportedly said.
Southern Baptists should be absolutely confident that their international representatives are special people with special callings to serve overseas.
3. Appreciating the difficult transition Ukrainian Baptists are going through was something of a revelation. A newcomer’s eyes are prone to see what the union and the churches do not have. But change has never come quickly in a Slavic culture. It is one small, slow step at a time.
That fact was lost in the stories following the fall of communism. Overnight Ukraine became a harvest field. People made decisions for Christ on the sidewalk following a first-time witness. But that changed after a brief time. One couple shared about their first trip to Ukraine on a volunteer missions trip when such results were expected. But after two weeks of witnessing, no one had made a decision for Christ. And that was almost 10 years ago.
Older Ukrainian Baptists remember their churches being confiscated by the government, their pastors being exiled. Even the long three-sermon service that is traditional in Baptist churches is a result of the communists not allowing Bible teaching outside the regularly scheduled worship services. Other remnants of the old system linger on. Four generations of being told what to do, assigned a job and cared for by the government has made it hard for many to comprehend a different mind-set.
One Baptist representative regularly reminds visitors that progress must be judged contextually. One must remember from where people have come in order to appreciate where they are today.
4. Baptists of Ukraine are facing change on every hand. A 30-something and under generation was reared in growing freedom, not with the constraints of communism. That produced a different mind-set, an aggressive can-do attitude that is at odds with the past. Strict guidelines of the past, such as head coverings in church for married women, are being challenged. Worship styles are changing as they are here. And none of this is without pain. The normal tensions between a becoming generation and an established generation are magnified many times by the changing cultural and political situations.
5. All evangelical Christians face an unusual challenge living in a nation that has been a Christian nation for 1,000 years. So pervasive is the Christian tradition that many church holy days are also national holidays. Ascension Day is but one example. To be Ukrainian, one representative noted, is to be an Eastern Orthodox Christian.
But the primary focus of Orthodoxy for most Ukrainians, representatives said, is identity with the church and doing the “godly things” in church. The idea of a personal relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ is a foreign concept to most.
While the Baptist church is a recognized historical church and the predominant church in a few areas, Baptists are still viewed as outsiders — almost cultic — by many. Baptists do not have the nationwide influence of the Eastern Orthodox.
That is why some Baptist representatives are praying for a revival in the Orthodox Church, praying that it will return to its evangelistic roots. If that happens, they say, then it would be an accepted and trusted voice calling the people to a personal relationship with God through faith in Jesus.
6. Alabama Baptist volunteers were unanimously praised for their tireless efforts as well. Every church we visited, every Baptist representative with whom we talked had stories to tell about how helpful Alabama Baptist volunteer teams have been in starting new churches, witnessing projects, social ministries and on and on. Representatives noted that volunteers have worked to support their work rather than coming with their own agenda.
7. No one said this but it kind of hung in the background of many conversations. So far, Alabama Baptists have not been able to meet one of the primary partnership goals: furnishing a ministry partner for each of Ukraine’s 25 oblasts (states). That has meant church-planting efforts have not met expectations. Some evangelism plans have been scrapped. Ministry opportunities have gone unmet. Specific requests for teams have gone unfulfilled. But this is a report at the midway point. That may yet change. Alabama Baptist associations can still partner with oblasts. Some churches have the resources to do this as well. And Alabama churches may also partner with Ukrainian churches. A Sunday School class or some other group in the church may yet accept an unmet ministry request.
8. Alabama Baptists have made wonderful contributions to the cause of Christ in Ukraine since the beginning of this partnership, but much, much more is needed. Please ask God if there is a role for your association, your church or you in this partnership. And above all, pray for God’s grace to be poured out on the people of Ukraine.
For more information, call 1-800-264-1225, Ext. 239, or e-mail at rquimby@alsbom.org.
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