Soviet Evangelicals Since World War II, Walter Sawatsky, 1981

t the state financial organs 206 Soviet Evangelicals Since World War II checked the books twice a year in order to determine how much tax was to be collected. According to the reformers’ report, Ivanov had also listed total annual income from 1956 to 1963 and had provided a rough breakdown of 1962 expenses." This was not a very promising report because it showed that, from an annual income of 280,000 rubles in 1956, income had de- clined steadily, so that for 1963 they were anticipating an income of only 124,000 rubles. This reveals a loss of confidence in the leadership and was a significant factor for calling the congress. The Unity Issue Everyone knew that the major issue’at the congress was unity. What would Karev say to that question? The reformers were disappointed by the brevity of the report and more still by the limited time available to discuss this major question. Karev’s manner of approaching the subject was an obvious attempt to minimize the significance of the Initsiationiki challenge. The first half of this section contained complaints about older workers who had recently returned to active church work (that is, they were released from prison) and had immediately. begun fostering a spirit of separatism. But the so-called “pure Baptists” and the “Evangelical Christian perfectionists’ had both had little success, The bulk of the delegates’ discussion (that which was quoted in Bratskti Vestnik) focused on the confessions and reconciliations of several persons who had supported the “ pure Baptist’ movement. !7 At the end of this paragraph of his report, Karev merely stated that “a new, stronger attempt to divide our brotherhood was undertaken by. the so- called initiative group, beginning in August 1961. The reasons for this at- tempt are known to all our brotherhood and we will not take time to go into detail.” '8 It seemed Karev planned to restrict the discussion and to dismiss the Initsiativniki as narrow fanatics, just like the “pure Baptists.” A second | and longer section of Karev’s report on unity focused on relations with Pentecostals, Karev’s concluding remarks did, however, set a more concilia- tory tone. In order to help those who had left their ranks to return, he stated, they were submitting a thorough revision of the 1960 statute, which he hoped would be acceptable to all congregations, !9 There was actually little time available for a thorough airing of views among delegates on this question. Senior presbyter A. L. Andreev set a precedent later followed by his successors by supplementing the general secretary's report with a description of life in the Ukraine. He was followed by Belorussia senior presbyter K. S. Veliseichik, who gave details about The Union Defended, 1963-1969 207 church life under his jurisdiction. Andreev was more blunt than Karev had been and claimed that the Initsiationiki movement was centered