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

two or three are gathered in my name, there | am among you.” At these services everyone felt that they were children of one Father, brothers of one great Teacher. And everyone, who attended these services trusted each other and the world of God, and prayed, and had spiritual fellowship. These meetings were beginning of revelation for the ministers of the Russian Orthodox Church, because they were pointing to a new concept of a church...7° ? Rozhdestvenskii, Yuzhno-Russkii Stundism, Part 2. ** Ibid. 19 Ivan Stepanovich Prokhanov was one of the most prominent leaders of the Evangelical Christians in Russia. Prokhanov was born in a Molokan family in Vladikavkaz (North Caucasus). In 1887 he joined a Baptist church. In the following years he studied theology in various schools in England, Germany and France. After his return to Russia in 1898 he became actively involved in various ministries of Evangelical Christians. He became a leader of the movement, and is known for his numerous educational programmes, publishing activities and a grand vision for the baptistic believers to bring about transformation of Russia. | offer a more in- depth overview of Prokhanov’s ministry in section 3.3 Big dreams and dashed hopes: 1905- 1929. (See also Puzynin, The Tradition of the Gospel Christians: A Study of Their Identity and Theology During the Russian, Soviet, and Post-Soviet Periods; Prokhanov, V Kotle Rossii). ?° Prokhanov, V Kotle Rossii, pp 57-58. 54 Several points highlighted by Rozhdestvenskii were to be expected at the beginning of a new movement with passion for reformation of the existing established Church. The discovery of the biblical message and particularly its ethical teaching, as well as dissatisfaction with the existing order of social and ecclesial life caused dissent.”* Prosecution by the police, fuelled by the established Church widened the split, and highlighted the need to justify the separation, which was seen as a loss by the Orthodox Church of the “true and narrow way.” At the end of the 19" century Nicolay Leskov wrote about a split that occurred between the followers of Lord Radstock and the Orthodox Church, ‘Everything from start to finish boiled down to one point: the Russian ””22 Beokhanov Church was formalistic and lifeless, and they had “taken against it. pointed to the lack of biblical teaching in the Orthodox Church, addressing the invitation of Lord Radstock, whose preaching became a starting point for Pashkov’s conversion, and the appearance of the Evangelical Christians, Lady Chertkova started to seek, what was this living power that was opening in the Bible that could make human souls happy. First of all, she spoke with prominent ministers from the Orthodox Church. Of course, they could not satisfy her. Then she left Russia and started to visit famous preachers in other countries.*° Thus the rejection of the Tradition (the writings of the Holy Fathers, and litur