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

y and application of the biblical story, of discerning people’s spiritual gifts, and of bringing up their new leaders. | believe that there is a positive lesson that can be drawn from history, something, which can modify the future of preaching in Russian Baptist churches. Finally, the concluding section of this chapter will raise a question of the future relevance of this research. A call to rediscover the communal aspect of biblical interpretation, thus significantly altering churches’ take on preaching, may seem an impossible dream, considering the number of local congregations in Russia (over 1700), and their cultural and theological diversity. Therefore, first of all, | hope that this research would prompt further discussions, reflections, and research in the areas of Russian Baptist preaching and hermeneutics. This naturally leads me into the educational space — theological schools, as places of both ministerial formation, and also theological reflection on the practices and convictions of the communities of faith. | will briefly address the controversial nature of the University/Church relationships in the Russian Baptist context, highlighting the fact that the lack of engagement between ecclesial and educational institutions can be explained through their inability to understand each other’s tasks and methods. Further overview of the curriculums of two major theological schools operating in Russia, will reveal the lack of connections between various disciplines, such as Homiletics and Baptist identity. Furthermore, with the subject of Baptist identity being almost completely neglected, it raises an important question: to what extent does the current educational framework helps to enhance the understanding of the role and the place of preaching (one of the key ecclesial practices) in contemporary Russian Baptist communities (and, therefore, what is the role of educational institutions in moulding and shaping that identity)? | believe this would be a meaningful applicatory conclusion to this project. 218 9.1 Three sermons in a worship service: present, past and future Contemporary Russian Baptist churches are facing numerous problems, which they are not always able to identify, willing to admit, and even less capable of addressing. Rising Christian nationalism (although an oxymoron in itself) among its members is just one of such issues. Recent catastrophic events in the Donetsk and | “ Lugansk regions of Ukraine and the controversial “reunion” of Crimea with Russia sparked huge debates among the ordinary Christians of Russia and Ukraine.” Countless discussion threads on various social media websites (such as Facebook) almost inevitably concluded with mutual anathemas and abusive remarks regarding each participant’s nationality and stance with God. The tragic absurdity of such a relationship between members of one ecclesial family (Baptists) reveals a significant underlying issue — p