Russian Evangelist Thankful for Ministry Shares

Rev. Sergei Sosedkin, director of Russian outreach for Back to God Ministries International, says he amazed by the generous support that Christian Reformed Church members give to the work of the church through its Ministry Shares system.

"So many committed people in the CRC give so willingly," he says. "In Russia, for various reasons, it is difficult for churches to give money to support other ministries.

"CRC members have no idea how their love and generosity is affecting people around the world when they put their checks in the collection plate."

When he is not in Russia or at the BTGMI office, Sosedkin is often preaching to CRC congregations, describing the ministry as well as thanking them for their willingness to participate in the Ministry Shares program, a method of funding denomination-wide ministries by assessing a certain amount of money for each adult, professing church member.

About 40 percent of BTGMI’s ministry budget comes from the Ministry Shares program, which has been a godsend during a depressed economy when other types of giving are scaled back, he said.

"Ministry Shares is extremely helpful. It is a blessing. Every CRC member can be assured that each dollar they give is making an impact. I am so very grateful for the precious souls who support us through the shares and other donations."

Having grown up in the former Soviet Union, Sosedkin had no concept of tithing when he was young. In fact, he had a hard time finding a Bible, let alone a church.

Sosedkin recently preached at the weekly chapel service held in the Grand Rapids, Mich., office of the CRC. Afterward, he spoke about the generosity of CRC members.

During his sermon, he said: "I grew up in a family of non-believers. Almost everyone around me – except my grandmother – was a profound atheist. I was even told when I started kindergarten that there was no God."

Perhaps because of the prayers of his grandmother, a member of the Russian Orthodox Church, Sergei became aware of an emptiness that secular teachings and society couldn’t fill. He tried to pray like his grandmother when he was six years old and started listening to Christian radio programs when he was 14 or 15. One program that influenced him deeply was The Back to God Hour, flagship program of Back to God Ministries International.

"By listening to Back to God Hour, I learned that it was God who created me," he said. Radio programs eventually led him to seek out and obtain a New Testament. He found an evangelical Baptist church in Moscow where he lived. "It helped to start to fill this huge hunger for the Lord’s truth and righteousness that I was looking for."

Through what he describes as miraculous circumstances, he eventually came to the United States to attend Reformed Bible College and then Calvin Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Mich.  After landing a job at BTGMI, he became director of the Russian ministry, for which he records two radio programs a week.

His radio messages are broadcast over stations reaching across Europe, Central Asia, and North America. Additionally, these messages are published in various Russian Christian magazines and newspapers.  He also visits Russia regularly.

Since the 1990s, after the break-up of the Soviet Union, Russia's economy has suffered and yet churches and interest in spiritual matters have grown. Today, BTGMI programming reaches many of the country’s large cities. "People are willing to listen and to ask questions," he said.

"We have different outlets. There are still people who listen to us on old-fashioned short-wave radios. Some of the regular radio stations carry some of our material," he said. "A big thing is the Internet. People reach out through the web. In addition, some people send in handwritten letters, describing what the ministry means to them."

The ministry is also doing some text-messaging, informing people of the significance of certain religious holidays and pointing them to appropriate passages of scripture.

Much work yet needs to be done in Russia, he said. Bibles are available in big cities, but are hard to find in smaller communities. "My sense is that the Internet will be a huge part of our future because it is so efficient."

The Ministry Shares program raises about $25 million a year to help support CRC ministries in North America and around the world.  Congregations are asked to contribute to Ministry Shares based on the number of active, adult members in each church. 

A key attribute of the Ministry Shares program is that there is almost no overhead cost. To raise the same amount of money through fundraising campaigns would require spending several million dollars a year – money that, thanks to Ministry Shares, the CRC can spend on ministry programs.

For more information, visit www.crcna.org/MinistryShares.