Church leaders voice concern about conditions in Russia

ATLANTA (UMNS) -- United Methodism in Russia continues to grow, but political, economic and social factors in the country cause church leaders to feel trepidation for the future.

Several speakers shared their concerns during the eighth consultation of the Russia Initiative Feb. 17-19 in Atlanta. The initiative is a program of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries.

"I seldom have felt so much apprehension in Russia over the last eight years than I do now," said Bishop Ruediger R. Minor, who has headed the Eurasia Area of the United Methodist Church since its establishment by the denomination's General Conference in 1992.

Joel Stegall, a vice president of United Methodist-related Shenandoah University in Winchester, Va., offered a similar assessment. "The honeymoon is over," he said. "It's not as easy as it used to be."

In the early days, euphoria surrounded United Methodist work in Russia as good will and friendships were built on a genuine but somewhat shallow level, said Stegall, who became involved in the initiative in 1995. As the initiative progressed, American and Russian United Methodists learned to navigate many of the cultural divides, but now historical and political events are casting an ominous shadow.

"There's a real world of politics and power and history that is going on," Stegall said, "and if we are to develop the kind of relationships we must have, we have to learn to stay with the deeper issues."

Some of those overriding issues are the U.S.-backed expansion of NATO, which Russians believe threatens their national security, and the collapse of the Russian ruble in August 1998, which "further dampened Russian spirits," he said.

The two most recent events widening the chasm between Russians and Americans are last year's NATO/U.S. invasion of Yugoslavia in support of the people of Kosovo and the current war between Russia and Chechnya, he said.

"Russians," Stegall said, "say it is hypocritical of the U.S. to invade Yugoslavia where there was no national interest and then tell the Russians we are improper to defend ourselves when we are invaded by people wanting to establish a government that was hostile to our own."

Stegall has developed a network of relationships with students, professors and church people in Russia. About 30 Russian students have visited the Shenandoah campus over the past four years on an exchange basis.

Lawrence A. Uzzell, who works with a British-based institute on religious freedom issues and has lived in Moscow for several years, offered a bleak snapshot of the political landscape in Russia for the near future.

He described the current government as a plutocracy (government of the wealthy), comprising members of the old communist political party who were able to turn a political relationship into a profitable economic one.

"Vladimir Putin (the acting president) represents the plutocracy and will work to protect the new Russian elite," Uzzell said. "The experience of my sources is that Putin is going to make Russia more authoritarian, but he is not going to be less corrupt."

In the "very long run," however, Uzzell has hope for Russia. One reason is the information technology revolution, which "will not allow them to turn back the clock and isolate Russia," he said.

"The future of Russia is up for grabs," he said. "Freedom is not inevitable; tyranny is not inevitable. But at the same time, we need to stop talking about Russia as a country in transition. The transition is over. What you see is what you're going to see for the next 20 years."

One bright spot, he added, is the fact that religious freedom did not decline in Russia last year, for the first time since 1993. Although there were reports that a crackdown on religious minorities would occur last month, that did not happen, largely because Russian leaders are occupied with the elections, Uzzell said.

The United Methodist Church is still involved in the process of registering with the government, a requirement of a 1998 law restricting religious freedom. Russian bureaucracy has slowed the process, Minor said.

Despite the increasing difficulties of religious work in Russia, United Methodism continues to expand. Minor used a verse from Psalm 118 to symbolize United Methodist work there: "I shall not die, but I shall live and recount the deeds of the Lord."

"Methodism in Russia has never been a glorious and victorious mass movement," he said, "but rather has been under death threat several times since its beginning (in St. Petersburg in 1907)."

When the Russia Initiative was started in 1991, Russia had four United Methodist churches. Today, there are 70 congregations with 5,000 members in six districts, spread out across a vast country that encompasses 11 time zones.

Established in 1995, the Moscow Theological Seminary has enrolled a total of 71 residential students, with 25 current students. Last year, a non-residential program was started with an enrollment of 41, half of whom are pastors who were called into the ministry without any formal training and the other half of whom are active members of local churches who are preparing for ministry.

Since renewing its work in Russia, the United Methodist Church has insisted on indigenous leadership, Minor said, and it has kept a minimum of foreign personnel in the country.

The United Methodist Church is also involved in publishing, and is concentrating on academic resources and hymnals. A church newspaper has been started in Moscow with the goal of making it conference-wide, Minor said, "but we need a computer with a large screen for layout."

A key facet of United Methodist work in Russia has been the use of Volunteer In Mission teams. Over the past seven years, according to Vladimir Shaporenko, a Board of Global Ministries executive, an average of 60 to 70 work teams have gone to Russia each year.

*Smith is executive director of the Georgia United Methodist Communications Council.

See also: Russia Initiative Makes Impact, but More Help Needed