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

t ‘had from the beginning a definite denominational character.’”® Its starting point is considered to be the baptism of a Molokan leader Nikita Voronin in August 20, 1867 (despite the fact that some Stundist groups practiced baptism by immersion few years prior to that) in Tiflis.7° *8 Brandenburg, The Meek and The Mighty, p xii. 9 Alexander V. Karev, “Russkoie Evangelsko-Baptistskoie Dvizheniie [Russian Evangelical — Baptist Movement],” in Karetnikova, Al’manakh Po Istorii Russkogo Baptisma, p 93. 58 Voronin was baptised by a German Baptist, Kalweit, who was connected to Oncken. Three years later Voronin was already a presbyter of a church of 78 baptised members.” In 1875 the church sent Vasilii Pavlov*” (who was twenty-years old at that moment) to Hamburg (Germany) to study at the Baptist Seminary, which was organised by Oncken.*” The congregation in Tiflis accepted the Hamburg confession of faith, and following a German Baptist lead, developed a number of rules concerning worship practices and church life. Baptism by immersion and _ strict moral life were prerequisites for a church membership and participation in the Lord’s Supper. The roles of the presbyter and the deacons were also adopted.** Although theologically Russian Baptists were less diverse than Stundists or Evangelical Christians, having appropriated a number of doctrines and practices from German Baptists, they still did not develop any rigid theological system or creed. Hence, there existed a lot of 4 flexibility in interpreting the Scripture," which was seen as the only authoritative source of Christian teaching. Pavlov wrote about the Bible, >° Ibid., p 110. 31 Vasilii Pavlov was one of the leaders of the Russian Baptist movement at the end of the 19" and beginning of the 20" centuries. He was born in 1854 in a Molokan family; joined a Baptist church in Tiflis in 1871. In 1875-76 he completed a course in the Baptist seminary in Hamburg. Being ordained for Christian ministry by Oncken, Pavol returned to Russia, where he became a pastor of a church in 1880. Pavlov played an important role in the formation of the Baptist union. He is also known for his missionary efforts, educational work, and publishing activities, including translation of numerous sermons and theological works written by English and German theologians. (for further reading see V. Popov, Stopi Blagovestnika: Zhizn i Trudi V. G. Pavlova [The Feet of the One who Brings Good News: Life and Work of V. G. Pavlov] (Moscow, Blagovestnik, 1996)) 2 Savinskii, Istoriia Evangelskikh Khristian — Baptistov, Vol. 1, p 135. 33 In this, and a number of other church practices Baptists differed from both Stundists and Evangelical Christians. (Kushnev, Nemetskiie Very, pp 134-137). #4 At the present time, Russian Baptist churches hold diverse views on salvation and predestination, which is considered as acceptable by the leadership of the Union (I. V. Podbe