Factors Behind the Ukrainian Evangelical Missionary Surge from 1989 to 1999

Download or read book Factors Behind the Ukrainian Evangelical Missionary Surge from 1989 to 1999 written by John Edward White and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Abstract: Throughout its history the Soviet Union was one of the most closed places in the world to missionary work. As perestroika came in the late 1980s and the Soviet Union fell in 1991, a spiritual vacuum formed as massive numbers of people became interested in Christianity. An unprecedented freedom allowed evangelicals to engage in missionary work. -- Much has been written about foreign evangelical missionary work during this period, but virtually nothing has been written about the surge in Ukrainian evangelical missionary work, which was especially significant from 1989-99. -- This research project intends to analyze factors behind the Ukrainian evangelical missionary surge. Qualitative research was conducted by interviewing participants involved in the surge, including both Baptists and Pentecostals, in order to develop a grounded theory. Then, this grounded theory was analyzed in comparison with existing literature on change theory (particularly looking at Rogers [2003], Rochon [1998], Gladwell [2002], and Heath and Heath [2010]), producing a more generalized model for factors influencing a missionary surge. -- Thus, a five-point model emerged of important factors that influenced the Ukrainian evangelical missionary surge of the 1990s. First, centers of missionary development, primarily in Western Ukraine and the Donetsk Oblast, helped produce missionaries. Next, the decision to become a missionary resulted from a connection on both rational and emotional levels: understanding the idea of missions and hearing a call to missions as well as learning about needs on the mission field and seeing the example of missionaries. Additionally, missionaries were influenced by communication agents, who inspired them and invited them to the mission field, as well as by facilitation agents, or missionary structures that helped enable missionaries to go. Yet, the missionary surge developed largely at a grassroots level; communicators and facilitators were involved but not dominant. Finally, the context of freedom and personal connections to the mission field also influenced the missionary surge. -- This research project can help fill the gap in literature related to Ukrainian evangelical missionary work. Furthermore, this study revealed some important factors that influence missionary work that could be encouraged in both Ukraine and other contexts to promote future missionary surges.