Towards Understanding of the Practice of Proclamation: The Core Element of Russian Baptist Worship, Timofey Cheprasov, 2015

number of weekly services, which is normally three or four (mid-week service, Saturday evening service and two Sunday services) are added to the picture, it becomes obvious that churches that follow this pattern, have to have many people taking an active part (and initiative) in leading worship services. However, it is important to point out that the Russian Baptist traditional worship patterns do not only require many participants, but have developed this way because of the very strong communal nature of the Russian Baptist church.” It is significant that these churches use the same word when speaking both about a congregation and its corporate worship service. The word is “sobranie,” which means “gathering.” Such an understanding as “gathering of the saints” resulted in the lack of clear structure of the worship service. For example, in most cases it is possible for individual worshippers to approach a pastor or a music director with a request to contribute or share with the congregation a song, a poem, a testimony — anything “that would bless” or “would be edifying for a church” even after the service has already started.’° In his research on Russian Baptist hermeneutical practices A. Popov notices, 13 Eg. “Neuzheli Uidesh Ty Ne Priniav Khrista, Chtob Dalshe Vo Mrake Bluzhdat...”” [“Will you leave without accepting Christ, to go back wandering in the darkness]. “ Evgenii Goncharenko, “The National Roots and Ingenuity of Evangelical Christian-Baptists in Russia,” in Tony Cupit, ed., Baptists in Worship (Berlin, BWA, 1998), p 97. *® Church members have mixed feelings on this openness to interruptions and flexibility of the order of service. Some appreciate it and use their “right” to contribute. Others feel that such lack of order is harmful. | will address this further in my analysis of the surveys collected in churches. 116 The church was not primarily considered as having a task to perform. Rather it was a family which existed for its own sake. The church needed no other goal than the cultivation of the communal life of believers. Certainly nobody would deny that spreading the Gospel was the mission of the church, but that was not of primary significance. Fostering believers in their faith was a major reason for the existence of a local church. This took place primarily through preaching, but also in controlling the behaviour of church members and determining punishment for sins.”° Having pointed to the important role of the community in general, let us have a closer look at who is and can be involved. Music ministry, which includes singing in a choir, playing instruments, singing solo, etc., is rather simple — anyone can be involved. The only requirement is that a person is neither on church discipline’ (if a church member) nor having a particularly sinful way of life (for non-members), since everyone who participates in worship has to provide a positive example for other believers.