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

SSR. BV took on the role of both Sunday school and seminary. It published encyclopedic materials... The lectures for Correspondent Bible Courses were published in BV approximately two years before the opening of this educational institution, thus offering a wide circle of readers an opportunity to receive robust spiritual education...” It must be noted, however, that despite the importance attributed to preaching in churches,”’ the journal does not contain a significant number of articles on the subject of homiletics.2* Hence, it might be helpful to once again point out the main approach to teaching preaching appropriated by churches (due to various external factors, which were mentioned earlier in the chapter) was by offering example. Inexperienced preachers had ample opportunities of listening to more mature practitioners and were expected to imitate their style. Unsurprisingly, each issue of the BV contained several sermons of well-known pastors, union leaders (past and present) or some famous preachers (like Spurgeon) from abroad.” This served several purposes — it brought some theological and doctrinal coherence into diverse congregations; offered material for sermons; and provided examples of how preaching should be done. The main weakness of such method was the absence of any critical assessment or analysis of both written “exemplary sermons” and oral acts of proclamation. Young 19 Alexander Popov, “Traditsii Izdatelstva VSEKHB v Zhurnale “Bratskii Vestnik”” [“The Traditions of Publication of AUCECB in Bratskii Vestnik”] (2007), accessed on 01.10.2014, from www.rosbaptist.ru. 20 E.g., ‘Preaching is the most important ministry of a spiritual labourer on God’s field... Moving preaching to the background, he, therefore, lowers himself to a position of a human being who lost his true mission.’ (N. N., “Rabota nad Propovediami” [“Work on Sermons”], in Bratskii Vestnik, Vol. 5 (1969), p 52). 21 From 1945 to 1989 (the period covered in this overview), there were less than 15 articles dedicated to the subject of preaching. A few publications on pastoral ministry touch upon the theme of preaching as well. ?2 E's Sermons by P. Malin, Prokhanov, Andreev and I.R. (Vol. 1, 1948, pp 29-46.) 95 (and old) preachers were left to themselves in dealing with various issues related to preparation and delivery of sermons. Turning to the BV to research the subject of preaching, it would come as an unexpected (and to some even unpleasant) surprise to a large number of pastors in Russia, but the first article specifically dealing with preaching (Vol. 3, 1945) relates to the question of the role of women in this ministry. The author insists that since ‘the spiritual condition of the churches largely depends on the condition of the sisters, the question of female ministry should be considered as very important.’ The argument against women in preaching based on Paul’s prohibition for women to speak in chu