NEW REFORMED BAPTIST CHURCH IN ST PETERSBURG

At the recent Carey Conference in England Andrei Valtsev gave a report. He is from the Reformed Baptist Church at St Petersburg which was started during the last year with 3 core families. The church's convictions differ greatly from the Russian Baptists with their overwhelming Arminianism. Along with that is a widespread authoritarianism resulting in constant friction. There is no longer a 'Union' of Baptists in Russia but a disunity with constant smaller divisions. The Baptists don't need bosses any more. Andrei said, "I was converted in 1977 and I had that small view of God for years. I thought I could be saved today and lost tomorrow. Many Christians in Russia live in constant fear. They think they can lose their salvation. The first time I came across the doctrines of grace was in 1992 and the doctrine I heard was the perseverance of the saints. I had great joy in believing it. I was saved and so would never be saved. Then I came to England in 1993 and was in the London Theological Seminary. I gave them problems in the first year repeatedly raising my hand in class asking the lecturers questions about the doctrines, but in the next months I became a Calvinist. But on returning to Russia my former Baptist church rejected myself and wife and our three children. We had no place for worship and people considered us as a great threat when they heard that we believed the doctrines of grace.

"Then God sent our way some people who believe the same things as ourselves - people from Pushkin, a nearby city. So together we began to study the Bible systematically, which is very rare in Russia. No systematic progressive expositions characterise any pulpits. Since last April we have held Sunday services in St Petersburg, but as yet we have not constituted ourselves as a church, there being no official membership and no pastor."

"Today the 1689 Confession of Faith has been translated into Russian, and also - A Call to Prayer by Ryle, Owen on Spiritual Mindednes, Contentment by Burroughs, and Tedd Tripp on Shepherding a Child's Heart. The Shorter Catechism has been translated into Russian for the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland. Other books which have been translated but not published yet are, Jay Adams on Christian Living in the Home, and Gardener Spring on Distinguishing Traits of Christian Character. Andrei works with the support of a Baptist church in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. Russia needs more theological literature, and Reformed Churches to be established where repentance is preached. We need no more bosses in the pulpits but pastors and shepherds who will bring the people the word from the heart, by systematic theological teaching of Scripture."