Eastern European Baptist History: New Perspectives, 2007

many people in the present- day church are afraid of cultural and technological changes such as new songs, classes, modern music, different clothing, new habits, individual or plastic Communion cups, and the use of the internet to proclaim the Gospel. Before the 1980s it was incomprehensible to do missions outside of Poland. The new political situation changed that completely. Polish Baptists could not only receive help but also started helping others. A Bible Semi- nary in Wroclaw and the Warsaw Baptist Seminary began sending students to eastern countries for a practicum. Many decided to stay there and continue their ministries abroad.” Those returning have enriched Polish Baptist worship and missions with new insights. The cultural environment will always put its stamp on the style of the worship in the congregations. The surrounding political system will cause either greater openness or reticence toward church outreach. At the same time, the church influences the society in which it exists. It seems that this effect is in proportion to the effort that congregations put into meeting the needs of the surrounding society. The history of the Baptist Church in Poland shows that church life and worship have always existed within and have been influenced by the context of the cultural, political, economic and social environment. ”° Miroslaw Patalon, “Kosciél wobec zmieniajgcego sie $wiata’, Slowo Prawdy, no.4 (2000), p. 8. ” Interview with Andrzej Horyza, “Zobaczyé, czym jest misja i sluzba w innej kulturze’, Stowo Prawdy, no. 7-8 (2000), pp. 18-19. 185 Zbigniew Wierzchowski is a pastor at the Baptist Church in Glogéw, Poland. He is also an artist and musician, and is currently a research student at the International Baptist Theological Seminary in Prague, Czech Republic. 186 The Re-Positioning of Evangelical Christians-Baptists and Sister Church Unions between 1980 and 2005 Walter Sawatsky Was There a Vision and an Ecclesiology? Rar 1980 and the present, the Slavic' evangelical church commu- nity experienced a major transformation, in many ways more foun- dational than their own restructuring during the initial golden years of the Soviet Union. With the USSR breaking down into Commonwealth of Independent States, the Baltic countries quickly seeking membership in the European Union, others also working toward such goals, and Central Asian countries allying with the USA against terrorism, the range of soci- etal attitudes within which evangelical Christians needed to find their way became very complex. The evangelical church unions have re-posi- tioned themselves both in response to these changes and because of their own ecclesiology and visions. It is tempting to concentrate solely on what elements were most discussed, painting a map of present realities as if the Soviet era were now in blessed oblivion in the dustbin of history. Historians know that the past is always prologue; the pas