Soviet Evangelicals Since World War II, Walter Sawatsky, 1981

he Russian evangelical movement had been New Frontiers After 1974 struggling for survival and had been unable to think and plan deliberately for its goals. Now the AUCECB appeared to be moving beyond the sur- vival phase. That raised worrisome questions, Where would the new freedoms lead them? Was the respite from state pressure only temporary? Would their leaders handle the situation wisely or would they blunder? Should they be aggressive or cautious? This was the setting when Alexei Bychkov reported to the church delegates. The 41st Congress (1974) It was Alexei Bychkov’s first report to delegates from all the churches on the work accomplished during the previous five years. The impression he would make could determine the degree to which delegates would ap- prove his reelection for a full term. He was speaking before 483 voting dele- gates, approximately 100 guests, and 20 visitors from abroad, 14 of them from non-socialist countries.5 Most of the foreign visitors were Baptist World Alliance leaders but there were also two Mennonites and one Evan- gelical Christian present.@ Once again, as at earlier congresses, the credentials committee reported that seven supporters of the CCECB were attending as guests. Six others (including key members of the CCECB such as I. Ja, Antonov) applied for delegate status but were refused on the grounds that they should have been elected at one of the 59 regional congresses where the All-Union delegates had been elected. Credentials committee chairman S. P. Fadiukhin also reported to the gathered dele- gates that the CCECB had attempted a demonstration in the street, a claim that later proved to be unfounded. In any case, the Congress was declared legitimately empowered to proceed and Bychkov began a 41-hour report.” The lengthy report was as fascinating as was the entire Congress, even though the hard wooden benches and the cramped quarters demanded physical endurance for visitors and delegates alike. At 59 regional congresses “Theses from the AUCECB Report” had been discussed by a total of 4,000 delegates, 700 of whom had expressed their personal opinions. The theses had been approved, but delegates had requested more statistical data, wanted more attention drawn to the activities of the senior presbyters, asked for a historical survey of the multinational brotherhood, wanted more details on the life of local churches, wanted to talk about choral singing, and hoped to discuss the possibility and necessity of fellowship with Christians from other confessions. Generally speaking, Bychkov had organized his report around these questions, indicating a sincere desire to respond to dele- gates’ concerns. ' 418 Soviet Evangelicals Since World War Il General Secretary Bychkov’s Report As one of the best traveled and best informed of their leaders, Alexei Bychkov started with a survey of major events in the Christi