400 Churches Close Their Doors: What Should We Do? Continue to Develop Leaders

Gregory R. Gibson
Global Director; SALT Ukraine

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CBN News recently published an article quoting the President of the Ukrainian Baptist Theological Seminary, Dr. Yaroslav Pyzh, saying he estimates over 400 churches have been wiped out since the war started on February 24. 

Pyzh is a dynamite leader with a keen instinct toward leadership development. He has already catalyzed a movement of pastors being trained over the last several years from UBTS, and these pastors have been sent all over the world to plant and pastor churches. 

However, since the war started 6-months ago, Pyzh has double-down on the need for leadership development in Ukraine. 

"Since the war started, six months already," he states, "we lost about 400 Baptist churches. And so the real build is the rebuilding of leadership capacity because if you rebuild buildings and you have no pastors to lead churches, I don't think it's going to do any good."

We don't think it's any good either. In fact, it's atrocious that 400 churches no longer exist. We should mourn this new, yes. It should lead us to anger, yes. But it should also lead us forward with all the more vigor. With that said, what should our response be to 400 churches closing their doors? My answer: The exact same things we were doing before. 

DEVELOP MORE LEADERS

SALT agrees 100% with Pyzh's assessment for the need for leadership development in Ukraine. In fact, this is the foundation of the work of SALT Ukraine... training pastors to plant churches. This is why SALT Ukraine started in the first place. As we surveyed the need from pastors in Ukraine, there was an overwhelming ask for leadership development. Everything we do is about training, resourcing, and developing healthy leaders.  

In other words, our goal is to equip the ones who "equip the saints for the work of ministry" (Eph. 4:12). 

TO PLANT MORE CHURCHES

This is our marching orders, as it were. Our aim as an organization is the aim of Jesus. To make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:18-20).

We praise God that since the launch of our organization in the summer of 2020, SALT has already trained over 1,000 pastors in Ukraine and beyond. Our aim is always the same. Our goal is to see the church in Ukraine be healthy and to multiple around the Russian speaking world. However, we don't want to stay there. Our goal, our prayer, and our aim is to see the church in Ukraine multiply to the unreached. 

Our desire is to see the gospel go where it is not yet preached. And we believe that God is doing this through the church in Ukraine. That is why our emphasis on leadership development is so great. 

To send leaders, we must first develop leaders. To send church planters, they must first be developed. To send more pastors, they must first be trained. 

TO REACH THE NATIONS FOR THE GLORY OF GOD ALONE

John Piper says it best when he says that "missions exists because worship doesn't." Our sole aim is for the glory of God to be made known amongst the nations. Not for our fame, but for the fame of Jesus. 

Our participation in the mission of God is to see every tribe, tongue, and nation gathered around the throne one day. 

And we believe the church in Ukraine will play a major part in this forthcoming reality. 

To God be the glory... forever and ever.