Please pray more fervently than ever for Russian pastors and missionaries. Have you heard about the new law that Russia put into effect last summer? It prohibits any evangelism outside of the church. This is including Christians meeting in house churches, of which there are hundreds. Harold Zimmerman, his 2007 study of the world house church movement, states that there were over 800 house churches in Russia.
Zimmerman, H. (2007). Case study (Russia): The house church movement of Mother Russia. In R. Zdero (Ed.), Nexus: The world house church movement reader (pp. 338-340). Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library.
Joel Griffith, with Slavic Gospel Association, said that this law has very wide-spread ramifications. According to an article written by Eekoff Zilstra in the January issue of Gleanings (Christianity Today), there have been at least 32 pastors/church leaders arrested and prosecuted since last summer, of which 18 were convicted of breaking the law and incarcerated.
Praise International supports national Russia pastors in Russia. They have express a serious concern about how the government will enforce the law among their churches. Please pray for Russian pastors, church leaders and missionaries. Thank you.
Below are a few of the Russian pastors whom we have sponsored. If you would like to sponsor a pastor through Praise International, please contact us.
