Celebrating 30 years of the Moscow Theological Seminary and 55 years of Correspondence Bible Courses

2023 is the anniversary year for the Moscow Theological Seminary (MTS) and also the development of theological education in Russia: 55 years have passed since the founding of the Correspondence Bible Courses (CBC) and 30 years since the founding of the MTS. This event was meant to help others understand the path that has been traveled, learn from the founding fathers, give praise to God and intercede for further blessings in development.

The celebration was led by MTS Vice President Vovk, pastor of Istra Baptist Church and 2001 graduate of the MTS Master’s program. The UECB President and MTS President, Peter Mitskevich, shared a welcoming speech and recalled memories of evangelical education milestones in Russia. Quoting the founding fathers: "One of the biggest strategic goals of our brotherhood is the systematic preparation of servants to minister in churches." As an active figure in Evangelical Education (third generation), Mitskevich reminded the audience: “The most difficult thing was to organize and launch the learning process. At that time, there was the All-Union Council of Evangelical Baptist Christians (AUCECB) under the leadership of General Secretary A.V. Karev.  Their leadership decided to apply to open Correspondence Bible Courses (CBC), instructed by Mitskevich’s grandfather, who was a student of the famous Prokhanov, to create a program of Bible courses and supervise them in Moscow. In 1968, our brethren, for the first time, received permission to teach the ministers of Christ’s Church.”

Professor Sergienko, the oldest teacher of the seminary, doctor of theology, and Pastor Moscow’s Second Baptist Church, shared his memories of the first teachers of the CBC. With special reverence, he spoke about the importance of the character of a Christian teacher, citing as an example the spirituality, sacrifice and peacemaking of Petrik, Savchenko, Bychkov, Mitskevich and others.

The first enrollment for a two-year Bible course consisted of 130 student selected from 500 applicants. For 10 years, CBC sent out 272 people. Among the guests of the celebration were graduates including now acting UECB Vice President Ignatenkov (1981-1984). This touching atmosphere inspired and filled the hearts of present MTS graduates, some who are now teachers, with gratitude to the Lord and their predecessors.

One lady remembered what was done, as many thought at that time, was impossible: in one year an abandoned building was restored, repairs were made, classrooms, a hostel and all the necessary premises were equipped. In a limited time, thanks to the organizational talents, hard work, sacrificial help of friends of the seminary and the prayers of believers, the seminary was ready for operation and opened to receive the first class of students.

A landmark event was the merger of the Moscow Theological Institute  renamed MBI in 1991 and program increased to 5 years) and the Moscow Theological Seminary in 2007, with Peter Mitskevich becoming the President of MTS. Thanks to his selfless work of and the prayers of many brothers and sisters, the seminary went through difficult periods, preserving the traditions of brotherhood, expanding the activities of training centers in various cities, initiating new programs to train ministers in several areas: Pastoral ministry, Theology, Christian education, Counseling, Missiology, and  developing distance learning. Many of these graduates are still ministering both in Russia and abroad, bringing the light of the Gospel in word and deed.

The official part of the celebration ended with a prayer of thanksgiving from the brothers from the Board of Trustees of the MBS, who are also graduates of the seminary: pastors Maslyakov, Pichugin and Ignatenkov.

Then the guests were invited to the museums of the seminary. Seminary teacher, professor Savin conducted an excursion at the Bible Gallery, introducing the exhibits of various editions of the Bible and the peculiarities of the translation. The exposition "The History of Evangelical Education in Persons,” tells about those people who have made a huge contribution to the development of education in Russia. The exhibits in the museum are formed in the form of suitcases, each of which is dedicated to one person. In them you can see personal items, photographs and published works.

Olga Mitskevich, a seminary teacher and head of the Children’s Ministry Department of the Russian UECB, organized a quest for children “Journey Through the Pages of the Bible.” Both adults and children took part in games and a creative master class.

The prayer breakfast smoothly turned into an open-air lunch with the presentation of gifts from friends of the seminary. Thanks to donations from churches in Moscow and the Moscow region, the seminary received 8 new boards for classrooms as a gift. The Board of Trustees noted the contribution of Peter Mitskevich to the development of theological education, expressing their respect and gratitude in a letter of thanks for growing the legacy of theological education of Evangelical Christian Baptists.

On this solemn note, the busy 2022-2023 academic year at the seminary ended: 4 graduations programs, the opening of the educatiuonal program in Nizhny Novgorod, 3 recruitments (including the master's program), as well as graduations for distance programs. We thank the Lord for the opportunity to build ministers, and through them, the churches of our brotherhood!