Soviet Evangelicals Since World War II, Walter Sawatsky, 1981

ted the congress decision-making powers and reduced the council to a body that executed the decisions of the congress or, when making its own decisions during the interval between congresses, basing its decisions on the Soviet Union had a free church structure. It meant a major step against the centralism still being fostered by Soviet policy on religion, ment which now affirmed that this was a voluntary association of churches instead of a union of believers as had been affirmed earlier.27 Elections Bring No Change ’ Karev claimed that with this new constitution, the former causes for the split had been removed. The wording of the constitution was obviously 210 Soviet Evangelicals Since World War II promising. What remained to be seen was whether this all-powerful council and its senior presbyters would abide by the new rules and whether the state authorities would permit the constitution to function. One doubtful sign was the election that followed, Former members and candidates left the room, while their candidacies were discussed and a vote taken. The new council had only one new name, that of I. Ia, Tatarchenko, an old Baptist, who now assumed the seat that had been vacant since Michael Orlov’s death in 1961.28 There were, however, also five candidate members, who usually attended council sessions, and some of these could be expected to replace some of the old men who might soon die. The revision commission also remained un- changed.® This reelection of the old guard, considering the heavy criticism leveled against it, did not look very promising. In his closing address, General Secretary Karev acknowledged that they needed younger leaders, then went on to argue for the status quo by using the imagery of a ship be- ing piloted carefully into harbor: “We need brothers with white hairs on their heads, who can calmly guide our brotherhood through the many hid- den reefs,’ This first congress of 1963 turned out to be only the beginning of the concessions that the Soviet state had to permit and which the AUCECB leadership had to offer if it was to defend the unity successfully. The first congress was carefully stage-managed (and that aspect has never disap- peared entirely), but it soon became evident that the existence of an alterna- tive Orgkomitet meant that local churches and believers must now be wooed rather than dictated to. By the middle of 1964, the AUCECB presidium was already reporting in detail on its activities. Representatives had made eight major visits to congregations, and an additional twenty- seven persons had visited the headquarters office on various questions. For the first time in many years, senior presbyter appointments were announced and one could tell that two of them involved a shake-up, whereas others involved new appointments in oblasts where the duties had for a while been transferred to the senior presbyter of a nearby province.%2 Even