Russia is the focus country for Eastern Europe (which we covered last week). It is the largest country in the world, spanning all of Asia and nearly half of Europe, and is the world’s largest in terms of forest reserves, minerals, and energy resources. Its lakes contain nearly a quarter of the world’s fresh water. Yet although it has such massive resources and is in fact the world’s 9th most populous country, it is only very sparsely populated with a density of about 23 people per square mile, most of whom live to the west of the Ural mountains. Moreover, this sparse population is presently on the decline. Residents in the eastern regions of Russia have in particular dropped by 25%.

Russia has been hurt in the current global economic climate, but it still an influential player and part of the so-called “BRICs” (Brazil, Russia, India, China). These are the four largest economies outside of the rich OECD, and the only developing economies with annual GDPs of over $1 trillion. Yet Russia’s crumbling infrastructure and imploding population mean it cannot adequately exploit the resources it claims to own. Russia’s economy is presently centered largely around energy: Gazprom, its natural gas company, is both a source of revenue and a political weapon. Russia is quite willing to turn off energy supplies to Europe in order to negotiate what it wants.

The government itself is no longer Communist but still autocratic. It’s perhaps not surprising: Russia hasn’t known anything but autocracy since its birth. The nation seems to prefer “strong” leadership. The government has been expanding its security powers, yet many businesses are afraid of being victims of corrupt officials.

Though we perhaps have forgotten it today, Russia became Christian very early in its history. It was founded sometime between the 3rd and 8th centuries by the descendants of Viking warriors who settled in Kiev and adopted Orthodox Christianity in 988. For a time Russia was considered the “Third Jerusalem” and the center of Christianity from which thousands of Orthodox missionaries were sent out.

After the October 1917 revolution, much of Christianity was heavily suppressed. Orthodox Christianity, long the dominant form in Russia, had its numbers cut nearly in half after decades of harassment. Despite this persecution, tens of millions of Christians remained public with their faith. After the fall of Communism, numerous missionaries swept in with unfortunately little regard for or understanding of the existing indigenous Christians (Catholic, Orthodox, Baptists, in some 470 denominations as of AD 2000). Today there remains much missionary work by dozens of agencies, but it is being hampered by increasing restrictions on their activity. At the same time, there has been a surge in Muslim affiliation. Dagestan, for example, is already majority Muslim.

Russia today is a World B (non-Christian but heavily evangelized) country. There are 83 unevangelized people groups in the country, with 6.5 million people in them, as well as 6 unevangelized cities and 2 unevangelized provinces. A minimum of 65 new pioneer missionary outreach centers, each able to raise up local ministries, are needed. That doesn’t count additional work amongst the 34 heavily evangelized but majority non-Christian peoples, or work needed amongst those who profess to follow Christ yet are highly nominal.

Related articles

For Russia’s distrastrous demographic decline:
Population Reference Bureau’s analysis
BBC on Putin’s comments
Dire predictions of Russian breakup
2003 East-West Church & Ministry Report
Europe-Asia Studies, 2005, on the Public Reaction

At expense of all others, Putin picks a church (NYT). “Just as the government has tightened control over political life, so, too, has it intruded in matters of faith… The close alliance between the government and the Russian Orthodox Church has become a defining characteristic of Mr Putin’s tenure…”

Fear takes over Russia’s businesses. Russia’s entrepreneurs are increasingly afraid of being victims of corrupt officials, facing the risk of extortion, confiscation or jail.

Russia has reasons to stay its hand (AsiaTimes). “The Russian Federation is more than capable of defending its interests
in the former Soviet space… but it will not act beyond what is absolutely necessary to preserve its dominance. It is this strategic decision to lie quiet that many analysts have
confused with frailty.”

Why the Russia Spy Story really matters (Radio Free Europe). ”Moscow is skillfully advancing its interests in the West, not through intelligence but business, often supported by crafty industrial espionage, influence-buying, and under-the-table deal-making.”

Russia rises to the challenge as foreign missionaries are pressured (Mission Network News). ”[This situation] empowers the local believers. It enables them not to be dependent on outside resources or people. It enables them to really take hold of it themselves.”

Orthodox priest gunned down in Moscow church (Persecuted Church weblog, 2009). “Fr. Daniil Sysoyev, a Russian Orthodox priest well known for his missionary activities among Muslims, occultists and others, was shot an killed in the St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Moscow on Thursday evening. The killer reportedly entered the church, asked for the priest by name, and then opened fire at close range with a pistol.”

Wave of clergy killings in Russia (International Christian Concern). “The priest was killed because he was not indifferent to disgusting human behavior and took a principled stand against it in accordance with his calling…”

Draft legislation threatens to make evangelism nearly impossible (Mission Network News). But it was questioned whether the legislation would hold up to a constitutional challenge.

The difficulty of Orthodox evangelism (Khanya blog). Analysis of an interesting account of Orthodox evangelism and some of the attendant difficulties.

Christians become ghostlike with increased Muslim influence in Russia (Voice of the Martyrs Canada). “In Russia’s Northern Caucasus, bordered by Chechnya to the west, evangelical believers in Dagestan have become almost ghostlike, and what ministry they are doing is facing increased restrictions…”