Ukraine

“Serving in Ukrainian churches is like stepping back into the Book of Acts: an energetic and caring family of believers, passionate about reaching their country and the world for Christ. What a great place to have raised our children.” —ABWE Missionary

The Spiritual Need in Ukraine

With its vast southern seaboard along the Black Sea and densely forested northern region, Ukraine offers diverse scenery and includes beautiful locations on the coast, like the port city Odesa. Ukraine is one of the most populous countries in Europe (32 million people), and its strategic location and volatile civil climate have uniquely prepared it to receive the gospel. Located between Europe and Asia, Ukraine has become a launching pad for missionaries to Eurasia and Central Asia, including countries like Russia, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan, where there is little to no religious freedom. By contrast, Ukraine has experienced far greater religious liberty since gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, which allowed for the cultivation of church-planting and, more recently, missions movements.

Ukraine underwent a revolution in 2014, and has since been in sustained armed conflict with Russia. More than 13,000 soldiers and civilians in eastern Ukraine have been killed, others have been displaced, and countless towns have been damaged. As a result, the Ukrainian people face heightened physical and spiritual needs that can be met through our church planting in Ukraine. Suffering has become an expected norm of Ukrainian life, but there is more hope than ever, as younger Ukrainians are growing up without fear of being punished for independent thinking.

Church Planting In Ukraine

God has used the ABWE team, in partnership with local believers, to plant and strengthen hundreds of life-giving churches in Ukraine and beyond. Many of these churches are healthy, growing, and planting new churches. Since 1994, the ABWE-established Church Ministries Institute has equipped thousands of church workers with high-quality theological education in the context of the local church.

ABWE teams also partner with local theological schools to offer creative training programs that are proving instrumental in the increasing church-planting movement. Our goal is to establish resource and training centers across the country, as well as to offer medical care and instruction in village clinics.

Our team in Ukraine needs theological educators who can blend theory, practice, and a passion for serving alongside their Ukrainian brothers and sisters. We are also eager to expand a team of medical doctors, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, missionary kids’ (MK) teachers, children’s workers, evangelists, and church planters.

An Update From Current Ukrainian Missionaries

I am writing from outside Ukraine about what we are experiencing since the latest wave of war broke out.”
“My wife and I have partnered with Mihai (a Live Global partner) to plant a church in Chișinău. We have been working together for about 4 years.

Our church, Imago Dei Baptist Church, has formed a team to help with the different aspects of receiving refugees, among other related activities. The team, under the direction of Pastor Mihai, was able to find an apartment for a refugee mother, N., and her two children (They had to say goodbye to the father at the border because he wasn’t allowed to leave).

On Tuesday, March 1, I went with our ministry partner to a military installation in Chișinău, where a group of refugee Indian medical students from Odessa were being sheltered. A few of these students attended the international church that our partner pastors there, and they were thankful to see their pastor in person and pray with him. The sad story of these students is that they have studied medicine in Odessa for six years and had just two months to complete their studies when the war came and they had to leave. They don’t want to leave this country in hopes that the war will end soon and they can return to Ukraine to complete their studies. Read More