Voice of Ukraine

Evangelical pastors in Ukraine say that despite the war, congregations are flourishing

From: World Magazine by Craig R. Myers

In early 2022, Evgenii Skantsev was working as the associate pastor of a 120-member congregation in Ukraine’s south. Jesus Christ Baptist Church met regularly for worship at its location in Kherson, a bustling Black Sea port city on the banks of the Dnieper River. 

Then Russian forces invaded. The Russians destroyed a bridge over the Dnieper, stranding Skantsev’s senior pastor in occupied territory, where he began leading a new church. On the Ukrainian-controlled side, Skantsev led several dozen remaining church members in serving their suffering neighbors. The ministry work peaked in June 2023, when the Kakhovka dam collapsed by suspected Russian sabotage and flooded local residents’ homes.

“We helped the people—mostly feeding them, giving them clothes, and giving them the opportunity to wash their clothes because a lot of people lost their appliances,” Skantsev said. “By following with actions what we’re saying, they see that we are serious about our words.”

Attendance at Skantsev’s church has now more than doubled to about 300, he said. He showed a photo of his former senior pastor at his new church with several people wearing white—the traditional Ukrainian dress for baptisms. 

“I feel it is very good ground for bringing people into the church,” Skantsev said.

In Ukraine, an evangelical minority living in the shadow of the Orthodox Church is now blooming in the fog of war. After 2½ years the conflict grinds on, with more than 90,000 Ukrainian troops and civilians killed so far, hundreds of thousands wounded, and millions internally displaced. But interviews with local pastors suggest the good deeds of believers amid the evils of war have softened many Ukrainians to the evangelical message.

“God is seeking humble people, and when the war came, people were very disappointed, disoriented,” said Sergey Solohub, a pastor at Irpin Bible Church in Ukraine’s north. “This is the point when you have no hope. This is the best point to meet Jesus.”

Irpin, a Kyiv suburb, was 70 percent destroyed by Russian troops, but the city became a national symbol for resilience and recovery. At Solohub’s church, about one-third of the congregation’s 600 members evacuated in spring 2022. Now the church is nearly back to its pre-war membership and has nearly 700 additional visitors, according to Solohub, who attributes the growth to members showing the love of Christ.

“We opened five volunteer centers where people can get physical and spiritual help. We also started regular meetings for refugees where they can get food, clothes, and also a Bible teaching on the main question of faith,” Solohub said. Another priority: providing counseling and material support—including legal advice—for war widows and families.

According to the pastor, city officials began telling returning evacuees, “Go to Irpin Bible Church, they can help you.”

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