Dr. Larry Duncan
SGA Director of Training Ministries/Church Relations Representative

Not long ago, we received a brief but encouraging update from Pastor Artem in Ukraine regarding SGA-supported Antioch Initiative Bible training in his country. Last year, the Ukrainian Baptist Union announced a bold effort to raise up 1,000 new church-planting pastors and teams to work with them. They are praying, with God’s blessing, to reach many Ukrainians for Christ and to form 1,000 new churches by the year 2036.

In Kozelets, which is in the Chernihiv oblast (state), they concluded a session with 23 attending. Holding such training is a challenge in the midst of an ongoing war, yet we are praying for more to be committed church planting pastors, and to receive further training. They are praying for both men and women committing to being part of a team to assist the church-planting pastor. Join us in praying for them as they faithfully pursue their vision for Christ.

We also received a report from Pastor Yegori in Russia’s Yakutsk region, who expressed excitement to see classes begin again after a two-year break. There were two young men who were so impressed by the classes that they made a decision to attend Novosibirsk Biblical Theological Seminary—one of the best biblical schools in Russia supported by SGA. One of these men is Nikita, a young brother who serves in a worship group and is a beginning preacher. He wanted to study so much that he came to Yakutsk for the Antioch classes right after he was discharged from the army:

My first Antioch class was Hermeneutics. It was like an enlightenment for me in my Christian life. I’ve never heard so many biblical truths in just a few days, I had never approached the Word of God with such thoroughness and accuracy. This is what my heart wanted for many years. I long for knowing my Lord more and more. Not just to have knowledge, but also to serve my Lord better, and to serve His church better. I have a job and I hope that my boss will let me go to Novosibirsk three times a year. I pray for it and ask you to support me in my prayer. My church was encouraged by my decision to get a Christian biblical education, they all support my desire to study!

One missiologist aptly compares the growth of the Body of Christ in the Majority World to a bullet train and the growth of pastoral and ministry training to a bicycle. By the end of this decade, the number of churches in the Majority World is projected to double. This also means the need for pastors and ministry leaders will significantly increase. Accelerating training, therefore, is a strategic necessity. Yakutia, the vast region of northeastern Russia, is part of the Majority World in which the Body of Christ continues to expand. SGA has been engaged in a strategic plan to train pastors and ministry leaders in Yakutsk. The Antioch Initiative and Advanced Antioch Initiative are having sessions this month. New students are attending the Antioch Initiative session, which enables those who are new to the training to engage in the process. The Advanced Antioch Initiative is enabling those who have completed the AI training to deepen their understanding of Scripture and develop their skills as pastors and preachers. They together are being trained to reach more of their population for Christ and build the churches of Yakutia in the faith. The SGA-sponsored Antioch Initiative training has more than doubled in 2024 in the countries SGA serves. The Advanced Training, which is a new strategic training initiative of SGA, is gaining traction in other countries SGA serves. By God’s grace, SGA is accelerating training as God opens doors and provides the means to meet the needs with which we are connected.

We rejoice at seeing what God is doing in Ukraine, Siberia, and Yakutia! Pray with us for God to send out more faithful workers into His harvest!