M o s c o w – The Evangelical Christians-Baptists of Russia intend to consider more strongly than ever the consequences of the life-changing power of the Christian faith. They are expecting the American Baptist pastor and best-selling author Rick Warren to aid them along this route. He is founding head of the 23,000-member Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California and author of

“The Purpose-Driven Life”, which has sold 30 million copies world-wide. Two pastors from his church, Mark Carver and Dave Arnold, visited St. Petersburg and Moscow for five days in mid-February. They were thereby accepting an invitation from Yuri Sipko (Moscow), President of the Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists, who had visited Warren’s church a year before. According to a press release of the church’s Moscow offices, the Russian Union is planning for a larger conference this autumn highlighting Saddleback’s primary concerns. 

Vitaly Vlasenko, head of the Department for External Church Relations, confirms the necessity of such a conference: “We in Russia have not stressed all aspects of the Gospel.” We have concerned ourselves too little with what following Christ today really entails. “Too often lives were not really changed. Our members all do and think as they feel best. We need greater unity in thought and desire. We must more precisely understand who we are and what we need to do.”

Russia’s Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists represents 78.000 baptized believers in 1,930 local congregations and groups.