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Three New Students Accepted at the Seminary in NovosibirskLutheran Theological Seminary is happy to report that three new students were accepted into the regular seminary program last week. They began their studies on Monday, February 21. On that day the seminary professor, Alan Ludwig, held the first class in New Testament Greek, so the three men were just in time for that. For various reasons these people were not able to start their education in September, along with the other students. But we believe that it is still not too late for them to join the first-year class.
These men want very much to study for the pastoral ministry in the church. Therefore, we decided to enroll them in the program at this point. The current first-year class was enrolled in 1999, and the next one will be matriculated only in 2001. We cannot take a new group of students every year, because we lack the necessary facilities. We hope that in the future, when the seminary is able to gather in a new, larger building, this problem will be resolved. One of the greatest concerns for me as seminary Rector is the quality of education. We do not want to lower the academic standards or to neglect the personal spiritual life of the students. All this is because we do not want to give low-quality pastors to the church in Russia, which is now in extremely serious need of well-trained, confessional Lutheran ministers. And so as many as four students from the first-year class have had to discontinue their education at the seminary this academic year, either because of the seminary's strict academic standards or because of personal problems, thus cutting the size of the new class from 15 to 11 students. The quality of students is more important to us than big numbers. And still I am exceedingly glad to welcome new students to our seminary who are not afraid of the serious challenges that they will have to face while studying here. With these new men, our first-year class now numbers 14. The three gentlemen are accordingly Vladimir Bragin, Vyacheslav Ostanin, and Mikhail Yurkov. Vladimir is from Novosibirsk. Originally from Tashkent, Uzbekistan, he graduated from the Physics Department of Novosibirsk State University. Vyacheslav is from the city of Chita in Eastern Siberia, and Mikhail is from Asbest in the Sverdlovsk (Ural) region. Our missionaries and church workers in various places influenced their decision to come to the seminary: Sergei Glushkov, working in Ekaterinburg, Gennady Artin, in Novosibirsk, and Igor Kizyaev, in Chita. With virtually all of them, reading Lutheran books published by the Lutheran Heritage Foundation was also an important step in making decisions to enter the Lutheran seminary. Vladimir and Vyacheslav are single, while Mikhail has a wife and two daughters, ages 5 and 7. The seminary rents an apartment for them in Novosibirsk. These three men seem to be very eager to study. None of them was raised in a Lutheran home. They came to the Lutheran Church as adults, from various Protestant movements. Vyacheslav was a Pentecostal, Mikhail was a Charismatic (indeed, even a Charismatic pastor, if I am not mistaken). Vladimir spent 3 years in the Church of Christ (Boston) movement. One the one hand, this is evidence of how zealously American Protestants and numerous sectarians work in Russia. In reality, one may speak now of Russia as a predominantly Russian Orthodox country only in terms of the state support that is available for the Orthodox Christians. Statistically, the population of the country is more strongly influenced in the religious sphere by the Protestant denominations and various forms of the occult. On the other hand, it is simply amazing how members of such Protestant groups in Russia long for an authentic sacramental church. They feel that something is seriously lacking in their environment. But Lutherans are so often unavailable to share true biblical Christology with them. They are so often bogged down in needless internal political fights : These three men at any rate wanted a church full of the reality of the preaching of God's Word, Absolution, Baptism, and the Eucharist. And they found it. The way Lutherans worship, with deep reverence for the Body and Blood of the Lord in the Supper, made all the difference for them. What a joy it is to have traditional Christian liturgy, which is able to speak for itself and to deliver the straight message to people seeking the church! If we had a service only slightly different from that of the Pentecostals, I doubt these men would have realized the real depth of Lutheran theology, which does introduce people to the mysteries of Christ. But now these men are convinced Lutherans and seminarians at LTS. Before them lie four years of demanding studies, which will eventually lead them to blessed ecclesiastical ministry. We are happy to share our joy with you, and we ask you to pray for the continuous blessing of our seminary, so that we may teach our students the right doctrine, the right worship of Christ, and the right piety. News: Professor Kurt Marquart Gives Lectures in Ekaterinburg. [June 2000] News: Completion of 1999-2000 Academic Year. [June 2000] News: Summer Practicum. [June 2000] News: Seminary Movie. [June 2000] News: LTS Theological Journal. [May 2000] News: Trip to Ulaanbaatar. [May 2000] News: A Missionary and Catechetical Trip to Khakassia, Buryatia, and Irkutsk. [May 2000] News: Student’s Daughter Baptized at the Chapel’s Baptismal Font. [May 2000] News: Students Conduct Fieldwork during Holy Week. [April 2000] News: LTS holds April seminar in new seminary building. [April 2000] News: Dr. Scaer teaches full course in Novosibirsk in one week. [March 2000] News: LTS student participates in international Christian Pedagogical conference. [March 2000] News: Three New Students Accepted at the Seminary in Novosibirsk [February 2000] |
