The Role of Pastor

In order to understand the role of the pastor in the 1990’s, there is a need to understand the role of the pastor leading to the 1990’s. Evangelical pastors were presented with difficult challenges during the Soviet period. On one hand, they knew that it was an honour and privilege to be set aside for God’s work and noble ministry of serving the people. On the other hand, a position of a pastor offered little visible rewards. In fact, it opened one’s life to a multitude of threats and grave consequences for him and his family.

Expectations of churches from Evangelical pastors were considerable. In spite of a pastor’s business, he was expected to shepherd the flock and provide spiritual nourishment to the congregation. A typical pastor was expected to plan the worship service and preach several times a week during regular weekly services. He was to conduct the weekly (or monthly) meetings of the church committee and plan the agenda. Pastors in AUCECB churches usually presented an annual report at the church business meeting, after which they were approved for ministry in the following year.

He had to visit the sick and deliver the Lord’s Supper elements to the homebound church members (a practice that is also found in the Russian Orthodox Church). Pastors of smaller churches often acted as church administrators, taking care of the building and grounds. Ministers in larger churches could enjoy the help of two or three deacons.

All these facts indicate, on one hand, that Evangelical ministers were pressured by the State but on the other hand, they were burdened by the needs of their own families and high expectations from their congregations.

Most pastors had to have a full time secular job to support their families. After work, they would come to the church and do their ministries. Pastors were the most dedicated people in the fellowship leading by example in terms of understanding suffering and ministering to people. In the big cities, pastors often received financial support from their churches but not always. Due to the pressure of atheist propaganda, laws and rules, ministers had to pay high taxes to the authorities if they received a salary from the church. Some congregants perceived that if the pastor received a salary, he was a hired man and may not do an effective ministry from his heart. Congregants honoured their love of God, their sacrifices for God and hope through their faith and demanded the same from their pastors.

There were practically no sermons preached related to the support of pastors or missionaries mainly because there was not a lot of need for money. If a church building was in need of repair, the matter was brought to the attention of the congregation during the business meeting. Usually, congregants met the need with their donations. Because of state prohibitions listed in AUCECB's Instruktivnoye pis'mo, registered churches were limited in what they could do regarding evangelistic outreach. CCECB's unregistered churches did not feel that they were bound by AUCECB's ordinance. They conducted evangelistic outreach and offered Bible training to children and teenagers in spite of the existing ban.

According to the Soviet legislation, all churches, and their ministers had to be registered with the state. Registration recognised the church as a legal organisation with a minister who conducted religious activity in a legal way. A single Evangelical church was permitted to have only one pastor, regardless of the size. Because only a limited number of pastors were registered with the state, they were in short supply. Often one pastor had to tend to the needs of the flock in several churches.

Churches that split from the AUCECB in the beginning of 1960s, were not recognized by the Soviet State, and therefore existed illegally. Their pastors, likewise, did not possess a state registration, and hence were prohibited from preaching and conducting any religious activities. It has to be said that the ban did not stop them from preaching, for which they were often sentenced to prison terms.

Being a registered minister with the state who had received the 'green light' to conduct limited religious activities carried with it certain obligations. Usually a pastor fell under the authority of the local office of the State Superintendent for Religious Affairs of the Council for Religious Affairs, which reported to the Council of Ministers of the U.S.S.R. (Rus.

Upolnomochennyi).

The superintendent’s duties included monitoring religious activities of churches in the area and doing everything to limit the spread of religious influence upon the masses.

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Superintendents, therefore, often applied pressure upon pastors, restricting their activities to the very minimum, discouraging them from preaching evangelistic messages and involving the younger members of the congregation in its life and ministry.

Ministers often found themselves in a problematic position of having to report to

Upolnomochennyi the statistics of attendance at worship services, the number of candidates

preparing for baptism and the multitude of other matters related to the life of the congregation (Kolomiytsev, 2012). Superintendents often had informers within Ispolorgans (Executive Committees) of churches that directly reported to them. Thus, a minister walked a fine line between telling the whole truth about his congregation and being dishonest before God.

Being chosen to carry on the duties of a pastor meant sacrifice for his family. At any moment he could be sent to prison for breaking the anti-religious law. He was responsible for all aspects of church life, and if anything was done without his knowledge, he still had to face the consequences (Kolomiytsev, 2012). It was often customary for Evangelical young people to get together for fellowship. They used different occasions, such as holidays and birthday celebrations to gather together for singing of hymns and Bible study. When such youth groups were discovered, pastors were often the ones who had to explain all the matters involved to state superintendents. Sawatsky wrote: ‘The brave and zealous young people had less fear of the consequences, but it is unfair to dismiss all registered presbyters as cowards’ (Sawatsky, 1981, p. 323).

The number of church ministers in larger AUCECB churches grew in the 1970s–1980s. They drew a salary collected by their congregations. Pastors had to pay approximately 25 per cent income tax (Sawatsky, 1981, p. 325).