Soviet Evangelicals Since World War II, Walter Sawatsky, 1981

ov suddenly emerged as a new vice-president in 1969 very little was known about him, Two years later after election to the highest executive office in the union, he introduced himself with a short autobiography.4! He was born in Klin (just outside Moscow) in 1928, into an Evangelical Christian family. Following graduation from a Moscow institute, he worked for nearly two decades as a building engineer. He was converted at age 21 in 1949 and was baptized in 1954. In the following years he read extensively in the theological library of an old friend. He also studied English for two years in an institute, graduat- ing in 1960. Following this he became a translator for the AUCECB, then was entrusted with preparing lectures on theology for the Bible cor- respondence course. He started preaching at the Moscow church in 1967, but only in 1969 did he begin to work full time for the All-Union Council, first as assistant to Ivanov. In 1970 he was ordained to the ministry and began his work as general secretary the following year. Alexander Karev had been widely loved. Alexei Bychkov was not widely known, which increased the difficulty of stepping into Karev’s shoes. Karev had already been severely sick in 1968 but held onto his post. Some associates felt that, had Karev not remained in office so long, Bychkov as a representative of the new generation would not have seemed such a sur- prise. Bychkov has, however, grown in office, and is by now probably as widely respected as Karev was loved. That is the difference in their per- sonalities, Bychkov’s working style is that of an administrator. He is not an outstanding preacher. During the past decade he has shown himself to be a skillful negotiator—that is, remarkably successful in obtaining acceptable compromises. He appears to favor progress by a series of small steps in a complicated process which many of his followers do not understand until after the goals are reached. He is intelligent and a good listener. Whereas Karev saw himself as a pastor to pastors, Bychkov appears more goal- oriented, seeking to deepen the quality of evangelical church life. 2, Andrei I. Klimenko—the Church's Leader, Delegates in private expressed satisfaction with the election of Klimenko in 1974. He had been born in 1918 on the Volga River in present-day Kuibyshev. He was already baptized at 15 and began preaching soon thereafter. He had lived in the city of Kuibyshev since 1930 and was elected the leading presbyter in 1949. In 1963 he became senior presbyter for Kuibyshev and nearby oblasts. This Ane Soviet Evangelicals Since World War II respensibility grew, so that when he became a council member in 1969 and then a vice-president two years later; he was responsible for 18 oblasts in the Volga region. Technically speaking, as president Klimenko was the leader, serving as chairman at meetings of the council and presidium. For this r