Languages | Education | Training | Ministry History | Questions

LANGUAGES

Russian, English

EDUCATION

School

Degree

End (mm/yy)

Moscow State Technical University

Hydraulic engineer

06/1995

Moscow Methodist Theological Seminary

Church leadership certificate

06/1996

Candler School of Theology, Emory University in Atlanta

Master of Divinity

05/2001

Wesley Theological Seminary

Doctor of Ministry

05/2010

TRAINING

Course

End (mm/yy)

Train the trainer

10/2014

CERTIFICATIONS

Certification

End (mm/yy)

Professional coach certificate (ICF) at International Coaching Academy in Moscow, Russia

06/2012

MINISTRY HISTORY

Church/Organization

Position

Begin (mm/yy)

Moscow Central UMC

College students minister

08/1993

First UMC in St.Petersburg, Russia,

Local pastor

08/1996

Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Student

09/1998

Eurasia UMC

Director of Church Development

06/2001

Aspiration UMC in St.Petersburg, Russia, and District Superintendent of St.Petersburg district,

Pastor

10/2003

Eurasia Episcopal Area UMC

Assistant to the Bishop

05/2005

Raduga UMC in Moscow, Russia,

Part time pastor

05/2005

Central Asia district

District Superintendent

09/2009

Center for Church Leadership in Central Asia

Director of International Relations

09/2012

Eurasia Episcopal Area UMC

Bishop

10/2012

GMC

Bishop

07/2025

MINISTRY HIGHLIGHTS

One ministry highlight is working with college students in 1993 at Moscow Central UMC. We had very active evangelism program and small groups Bible study. We grew from 30 to 50 people that year. We have also invested a lot of energy in training leaders. Another ministry highlight is starting new children’s ministry in St.Petersburg church where most people were elderly including WWII veterans back in 1996. I have had many meetings with church leaders and individuals to convince them to invest in children’s ministry. It was great to see this ministry grow during a couple of years to a regular Sunday school experience, building new friendships with and among children and grow in faith together. Starting new churches in Eurasia during 2001-2003 was very exciting for me as I served as director of church development. I have traveled to many places providing trainings, Bible studies, meeting new people, forming small groups and sharing about Methodist church. Most people I met were non believers or nominal Christians.

QUESTIONS

1. Gospel: What is the gospel?

Gospel is a story of God’s love for us, for you and me. It is good news for everyone. The story of a prodigal son who repented and returned home to his father is our humanity’s story (Luke 15). We are lost without God. But loving father runs to meet his lost son, hugs and kisses him, and orders his servants to make a feast. God forgives my sins, even mine, and rejoices that I have returned to Him. God restores me, blesses me with His grace and gifts, gives me abundant life and purpose in His mission. But His forgiveness is not without a cost. All of this is possible because of Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, who died for my sins and sins of all humanity. In Christ we have a new life - full of grace and joy. That is gospel, the good news.

2. Trinity: How would you articulate the doctrine of the Trinity and why it matters?

The doctrine of Trinity describes one God in three persons — Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They are not three different gods, but one God. We believe in God the Father, the Creator of heaven and earth. We believe in Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, who is the Redeemer, sent by the Father to die for our sins and to reconcile us with God. We believe in the Holy Spirit who is the Sustainer of our life, who empowers, guides and sanctifies us. Our God is a relational God — through the mystery and love of the Holy Trinity and through personal and communal relationship with us in love. This matters to us because as disciples we live in active relationship with the Trinity — we worship and obey, we proclaim Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we constantly seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

3. Jesus: In what sense did Jesus die for our sins, and how does it impact your understanding of the Church’s mission?

Our human condition is sinful. Sin separates us from God. Jesus becomes the Lamb of God who takes all of our sins onto Himself on the cross. By the blood of Jesus who died for us on the cross we are forgiven and reconciled to God. By God’s grace we are saved through faith (Ephesians 2:8) and live new life in Christ, abundant life, eternal life, full of God’s meaning and mission. This directly impacts our mission — we are called to proclaim and teach the Gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, his love so that other people can experience God’s forgiveness and reconciliation, can live life of Jesus disciples, full of love, grace and joy. Jesus sacrifice on the cross frees us from slavery to sin and from the fear of death, and we want every soul experience that and live life in Jesus.

4. Holy Spirit: How does the ministry of the Holy Spirit relate to your understanding of the Church?

Jesus promised to his disciples that they will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on them and they will be his witnesses around the world (Acts 1:8). The Church is always tempted to settle and to stay comfortable loving community which is sufficient for itself. But Jesus calls us to go into the world with the power of the Holy Spirit so that we can reach the unreached with the Gospel and make new disciples of Jesus. For this mission the Holy Spirit gives us not only power, but guidance and spiritual gifts. It is important that each Christian understands his/her spiritual gifts and serves God and people with these gifts. Furthermore, the Holy Spirit teaches us and helps us to understand the Scripture and to obey it. As the Church we seek guidance of the Holy Spirit to be true and faithful to the right teaching.

5. Sanctification: Do you affirm the doctrine of entire sanctification, and how would you explain it to someone who has not encountered it before?

I affirm the doctrine of entire sanctification. This doctrine means that by God’s grace we can grow in love – we can love God and neighbor as God expects us, and achieve Christian perfection even in our earthly life, though we strive to grow every day toward that goal, step by step. We are saved by God’s grace through faith so that we can do good works for the Kingdom of God. We are called by God to be perfect because God is perfect. This does not mean that we are in this as in competitive run, but rather in humble service to God and our neighbor, always relying on God’s grace and love as our source of Christian life. Therefore, we are to live an active life of Christian disciple, always filled with God’s grace and power of the Holy Spirit to better love God and neighbor.

6. Holiness: How do you understand holiness as it relates to human flourishing?

Our God is Holy and calls us to be holy, meaning to set apart, to be God’s people for God’s holy purpose. We cannot achieve it by our own human efforts, but we grow in holiness as we grow in our relationship with Jesus Christ, as we are filled with God’s grace through the power of the Holy Spirit. Our holiness is practical holiness according to John Wesley. We practice and grow in holiness as we love God and our neighbor. Our personal holiness practiced in our personal relationship with God shines as social holiness towards other people as we love them and become a blessing to them. So, holiness becomes the condition of our heart and also our practical service to others. As we grow in holiness, we are not yet perfect without sin, but we become closer to God and empowered by Him to live life without sin.

7. Sacraments: What is your understanding of the Sacraments and their role in the life of the Church?

Sacraments — Baptism and Holy Communion — play very important role in the life of each disciple and the Church. Our Lord Jesus commands us to practice sacraments — visible signs of the inward grace of God. Baptism is initiation of Christian life when an individual joins the community of believers and promises to God to follow Christ every day. We rejoice and celebrate baptism as local church and become sisters and brothers to a baptized person — adult or infant — taking responsibility for the growth of this new child of God. Holy Communion is physical and spiritual celebration of God’s love for us through the sacrifice of Jesus — his body and blood. We are filled with the Holy Spirit though the gifts of communion which sustain, unite and empower us to live holy life in the world.

8. Scripture: What is your understanding of scripture’s inspiration, authority, truthfulness, and sufficiency?

The Scripture is the Word of God that contains everything sufficient for the salvation of humans. We are not to add anything, nor omit any parts that we don’t like, but prayerfully obey the Word. The Bible is inspired by God and given to us by the Holy Spirit through God’s chosen people who put it in writing. The Scripture is the highest authority for us as Christians. It gives us moral and spiritual standards to live by. We read the Bible with prayer and guidance of the Holy Spirit in order to understand God’s will for us in our time and place, and to apply it in our lives for the glory of God. The Scripture gives us the truth and we measure our lives by this truth as in the spiritual mirror. It is true for all people in all times and places.

9. Human Sexuality: What is your understanding of human sexuality expressed in terms of human flourishing?

I understand human sexuality as God’s gift. It is unique blessing given to men and women. From the very beginning of creation God created man and woman for the union of love. The marriage is a union of love between one man and one woman. God has blessed humans with a gift of marriage where the gift of human sexuality is expressed. We flourish as humans as we love, care and respect one another in marriage, grow our children together, stay faithful to one another as we journey through life. As Christians, we grow in Christ, overcome challenges and produce fruits for the Kingdom of God. There are many temptations to misuse the gift of human sexuality in our world and as Christians we are called to protect our children, to teach faithfulness in marriage and celibacy in singleness, and to defend our church from false teachings.

10. Human Beings: How does the biblical vision of human beings made in the image of God form your attitude toward the dignity of human life at every stage from conception to death?

We are made in the image of God. Our Creator gave us the gift of life, heart and mind, freedom and creativity to live abundant life. Therefore, I see every human as God’s child and creation in whom God’s image is present and active. And even though that image might be damaged by sin I believe in the possibility of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ for every person at any stage of life. Furthermore, humans are made in God’s image carrying unique capacity to make moral choices, build loving relationships with God and one another, practice spiritual life and care for God’s creation. So, I see my responsibility to respect them in every human being, encourage them to grow in their relationship with God and practice their spiritual life. Every life is sacred and unique, every human is uniquely created by God.

11. Wesleyan/Methodist Contribution: What is the Wesleyan/Methodist contribution to the Church universal?

Theology of grace — prevenient, justifying and sanctifying — helps people to more fully understand how God loves us and works in our lives. Means of grace — prayer, reading Scripture, holy communion, fasting and holy conferencing — gives people more systemic understanding of spiritual discipline and encourages to strengthen their relationship with God in a balanced way. Emphasis on lay leadership, i.e. empowering them and have 50% representation on different levels of leadership, inspires people to grow in Christ, take more ownership and responsibility in the life of the local church and on the global level. Emphasis on holiness, i.e. practical holiness, helps people develop their spiritual, intellectual and practical abilities to move on to Christian perfection as something real, on every day level, full of love and grace, with humility and servant heart. Small groups encourages people to be accountable for one another spiritual and physical growth.

12. Global Methodist Church: What is your vision for the GMC?

My vision for the GMC that we continue to strengthen our global nature — truly seek the unreached people and share the gospel in places where most people don’t want to go. I pray that we aspire to the highest ideals of being Church universal and not fall into temptation to be driven by our national or conference interests. My vision is that we continue to strengthen our relational aspect of the global church and invest less energy into legal solutions as necessary they may be, that our people can truly experience that there are no Jew, nor Greek… My vision is that we continue to strengthen our movemental side of the church even as we build better institutional systems and structures. As the first century Christians I want our Church to be bold, adventurous and outgoing.

13. Evangelism: What is evangelism and how have you practiced it effectively in your ministry?

Evangelism is sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with new people so that they can experience God’s love and grace and become disciples of Jesus. It also includes building new relationships with new people and helping them to come and see the Kingdom of God in the life of the local church. My practice of evangelism has been different depending on the local setting and time in the history of our land. In early and mid-1990s I have led our college students group to share the gospel with the marginalized groups in our society. We have shared the gospel with homeless, orphans and elderly. But the most effective evangelism was among other college students. Through invitational evangelism, small Bible study groups, sport events and informal time together, many new people became Christians and joined our ministry. In later years we organized many cultural events and served people outside the church.

14. Discipleship: What is a disciple, and how have you effectively made disciples in your ministry?

Disciple is a follower of Jesus Christ who has active relationship with God and bears fruit for the Kingdom of God. Disciple is the one who regularly aspires to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to share the gospel with new people, who invests in others to become new disciples of Jesus. In my ministry as a pastor I have encouraged people to join small groups in the local church so that I can teach them the Scripture and help them to have active relationship with God. This involved home work for them and meeting on a weekly basis. Also, I have encouraged them to spend time informally sharing meals and having fun together. Evangelism has been important part of discipleship for me so that we can make new disciples and keep our focus on the world outside the church walls.

15. Local Engagement: How have you led congregations to engage their local contexts with the gospel?

When serving as pastor in Saint Petersburg the majority of our congregation were elderly people including some veterans of WWII and Leningrad blockade survivors. Through my preaching and teaching, individual conversations and emphasis on mission of the church, I have engaged people in reaching out to younger generation. We have intentionally invested our energy and resources into starting a Sunday school for children. Most children were from poor families with complex problems. I have met with these kids regularly for Bible study and sport activities. Then we have appointed a volunteer lay leader who dedicated herself to teaching the Bible and shepherding them with love and care. In my other appointment in Moscow church we had mostly young adult families with mid and high income levels, highly capable leaders. Through my teaching I have engaged people to reach out to most neglected people in our area — poor and elderly.

16. Unreached People Groups: How do you understand the mission of the GMC in relation to unreached and unengaged people groups?

As the GMC we are called to fulfill the Great Commission of Jesus to go into the world and make disciples of all nations. There are still many people groups who never heard the gospel or have no opportunity to grow as disciples. The unreached people groups defined as less than 3% Christians. Most of them are located in 10/40 window on our planet. Our mission is to earnestly pray, mobilize and equip our people in local churches to join Jesus in his mission among the unreached and unengaged people groups. We also systemically investing our energy and resources on a denominational level providing training opportunities in every region of the world about importance of this mission work, giving people tools and sharing inspiring stories of the Holy Spirit works. This is risky and sometimes messy mission work. But we are inspired by the first century Christians. 


17. Global Missions: What is the local church’s role in global missions? How will you equip local churches for that role?

The local church is the basic and primary place where disciples and mission minded people are made. It is important that pastors and lay leaders in each congregation have the global missions on their regular agenda and inspire people to be part of it. I see my responsibility to equip people for global missions - to provide training opportunities, connecting them with others around the world, help to raise funds, and to make this a life long journey as disciples. Sometimes local churches do not feel as big enough to be engaged in global missions. But I hope to encourage them to join in prayer, to join their efforts with other local churches.

18. Christian Unity: What is your understanding of Christian unity? How will you lead the Church toward greater unity in Christ and the Spirit both within the GMC and in relation to other ecclesial bodies?

Jesus prayed for us to be in unity (John 17). We have unity when we one core teaching and one mission. As the GMC we emphasize our doctrines, i.e. Trinity and salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, God’s grace and forgiveness of sins. We also have missional unity — we are called to make disciples of Jesus Christ. It is also important for us to understand marriage as the union of love between one man and one woman. We are called to build good relationship with other denominations who share our core beliefs and mission. We can collaborate and glorify God when we work together and witness to the world God’s love and grace. It is also important that we defend our faith and not compromise on our core beliefs and mission. As the false teachings increase in today’s world, we must be clear and firm and help one another.

19. Bishop's Work: What is your understanding of the work of a bishop?

I see the work of bishop primarily in this aspects: teaching and guarding the faith, inspiring and leading people to grow, articulating missional focus and discipleship, developing personal relationships with people, lead by example, grow in cross cultural competency. Bishop is called to teach, preach and guard the faith. It takes a lot of discipline to do their homework and being prepared spiritually and physically, and to travel globally. Bishop is also called to inspire people and help them to grow. People need to renew their hope in Jesus. As a leader bishop has this unique role and opportunity to encourage people and help them regain strength. Missional focus and fruitful discipleship systems are very important on local church level and beyond. Bishop can teach, correct and redistribute resources to improve these things. Cross cultural competence is very important for the bishop who travels and oversees different conferences globally.

20. Your Qualifications: What qualifies you for the office of bishop?

If elected I hope to bring my leadership experience on global level and serve conferences across the globe. I have served as a bishop since 2012 and have experienced many positive and negative situations in the church. I hope that these experiences can help me to lead with humility and courage in to the next stage of the GMC. I love to teach and preach the gospel, to interact with people from different walks of life, learn from them and understand their struggles. I love cross cultural experiences and see it as fulfilling God’s commission to share the Gospel to the ends of the earth. I believe many years prepared me for global leadership as a bishop. Also, I hope to bring my own unique experience to the global table where we value every voice and learn from each other globally.

21. Assembly of Bishops: What do you see as the role of the Assembly of Bishops?

I see Assembly of Bishops as leadership group of the GMC. They are responsible to lead our Church in terms of development (with other denominational leadership) and implementation of strategical priorities on global level and annual conference level. Also, they have the teaching office — collectively and individually — for the whole church. Production, encouragement and correction of teaching resources is important role of the assembly. Occasionally, the assembly can voice their guidance and confidence when the world and the Church experience turmoil and specific challenges. Furthermore, assembly is a place where bishops can help one another to grow, challenge, comfort and keep each other accountable to the standards of Christian leadership and the Book of Doctrine and Discipline of the GMC.

22. Fellow Bishops: How do you envision working together with fellow bishops?

Assembly of Bishops is a great format for bishops to meet weekly. It helps us to grow spiritually, pray for one another and for our conferences worldwide, and stay transparent and accountable to one another. I envision our work together on implementing strategical priorities of the GMC and lead our global church to fulfill our mission. We can help each other and encourage one another in our roles as bishops. We can also share our mistakes as they provide great learning experiences on a global level. Alignment of our resources and communication is also important for bishops as they collaborate together. Furthermore, working together on missional focus and priorities helps us distribute our resources and energy more efficiently and cross pollinate between conferences in fruitful collaboration.

23. Conference Superintendents: How do you envision working together with and supervising conference superintendents?

I envision regular meetings with conference superintendents (CSs) online and face to face so that I can coach and mentor them to be fruitful in their role. I hope to make annual evaluation of their ministry so that I can give feedback to them and together develop a plan to improve their ministry and their personal growth as conference leaders. I envision that we will have to be flexible and adaptive as we learn what it means to be CS and bishop in the GMC. I also see my role as one who will inspire and encourage CSs in their respective conferences, listen to their needs and concerns, pray for one another and also spend time together informally.

24. Handling Concerns: If laity or clergy bring concerns directly to you bypassing their presiding elders and/or conference superintendent, would you include the applicable conference superintendent and/or presiding elder in the conversation? If so, how would you empower your conference superintendents and/or presiding elders in the discussion?

I would certainly encourage laity or clergy to discuss the matter first with their presiding elder (PE) and/or conference superintendent (CS). It is important not to get into triangulation problem when others use bishop in order to manipulate for their own interest, rather the seek the good for the church. Furthermore, it is important to help PE and CS to learn how to deal with such problems. I am always ready to coach and mentor them on how to work with the people and exercise their authority and leadership with maximum objectiveness, courage and humility. If the situation gets complicated and I feel that I need to step in, then I would meet with both parties in order to understand their positions and to allow them to voice their views to each other in my presence. 


25. Laity Leadership: How do you envision incorporating laity into the leadership of the church and into your leadership team?

It has been one my priorities to encourage annual conferences and local churches to include and elect laity in the leadership teams and various elected positions. I intentionally meet with lay leaders, local church councils and one on one in order to listen to their stories, learn about their discipleship journeys and get feedback on the ministries of the church. Sometimes I need to challenge pastors who are overly controlling of their laity and not allowing them to grow further on district and/or conference level. Also, I try to recruit laity with certain skills and gifts into my leadership team so that we all can learn from the professional fields, i.e. marketing, media, education etc, and apply new knowledge for the benefit of the church.

26. GMC Challenges: What do you see as the top three challenges facing the GMC today? How would you address them?

One challenge GMC faces is to more effectively reach younger generation. Many young people in the world do not have any prior experience of Christian life and even have negative stereotypes about church. I want to prioritize the ministry with young people, invest our energy and resources into reaching out to younger generation, listen to and learn from them, build relationships. Another challenge is to build a global systems and structures that will help different regions of the world function fruitfully. For example, the educational criteria for pastors are the same, but the implementation may differ depending on local context. Along with other leaders I hope to encourage the highest possible learning and at the same time not to impose “one size fits all” system everywhere. We also have challenge in connection with the General Conference — how do we avoid temptation to fix everything legislatively, rather than grow relationally.

27. Devotional Life: How would you characterize your devotional life?

From the beginning of my Christian life I learned a concept of date with Jesus. It helps me to imagine my walk with him and sharing my heart and mind. I like to take walks outside in the nature and converse with Jesus, thanking and praising him, asking questions, praying for my family and ministry, listening to him as I seek his guidance in my life. I usually walk for about an hour most of my days. I read Bible using different plans - sometimes I study a book of the Bible and write my reflections, other times I study specific topics in the Bible. I occasionally do spiritual journaling which helps me to reflect on my life journey and see God’s guidance for the future. My devotional life is important part of my life as it helps me to sustain my spiritual strength and pause during past pace travel schedule.

28. Theological Resources: What are the top five authors or theological resources to which you turn for research and learning and why?

John Wesley’s sermons are regular learning source for me. It helps me to focus on Wesleyan understanding and gives me ideas for teaching. Occasionally I write my commentaries and explanation notes and publish them for Russian speaking audience. Theodore Runyon was my professor at Candler School of Theology and dear friend who visited Russia. His book “New Creation” and his personal example of Christian life inspire me and help me to have a systematic understanding of Wesleyan theology. Kenneth Collins is helpful for deepening my understanding of Wesleyan theology. Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote many books which I find deep, practical and powerful, knowing how he endured during WWII in Nazi Germany and challenged the system. Fyodor Dostoevsky is a deep inspirational author who understood the human soul and psyche. Though he is not a theologian, his books raise many questions about God, meaning of life, sinful nature of humans and redemption.

29. Failures: Describe one time you failed; what did you learn from that failure?

It happened when during my first years of appointment as a district superintendent. During cabinet meeting I sensed that one of the superintendent was manipulating the facts. I have started to argue with him publicly which resulted in escalation of our emotions, use of tough language and tone of voice. My bishop then stopped me and I realized that I have failed to handle this situation in Christian manner. I have learned that I should have talked with patience, respect and humility, I should have used the opportunity to speak with that person one on one. I have learned that forceful criticism does not work if I want to change the person’s view. I realized then that I need to learn how to speak truth with love and humility.

30. Leadership Style: How would you describe your leadership style?

I would describe my leadership style as participatory. I like to encourage people to actively participate in decision making process and use collective wisdom of the body. This leadership styles requires more time for listening to people and clarifying their rationale. I also try to encourage people to use their gifts and graces more actively as it helps the body to fully contribute. Also, I like to spend time with people in informal settings like walks, sport activities, sharing meals together and experience fun activities. This helps us to build stronger teams where we know each other in multiple dimensions and encourage one another to grow in faith and love.

31. Decision Making: Give an example of a time when you had to make a difficult decision as a leader and how you made that decision.

The decision to leave UMC was easy in terms of Biblical and theological convictions, but it was difficult in terms of practical reality and anxiety among the people in Eurasia. I have organized several rounds of discussions whether we want to leave quickly or gradually. We also had discussions with our colleagues in Europe. Some pastors and leaders in Eurasia were concerned about financial challenges and how our leave will impact their friendships and relationships with sisters and brothers in other countries. This concerns helped us to review our financial parameters, prepare for more flexible and simple structure, relying on volunteers and have less paid positions. It was difficult to cut staff people with whom I worked many years. We spent a lot of time in common prayer and trusted the Lord for guidance. We also wanted to leave peacefully and not let anyone to drag us into their war.

32. Confrontation: Give an example of a time when you had to confront an employee or colleague over behavior or beliefs contrary to those agreed upon and how you handled it.

It was a situation with a pastor who had alcohol problems and tried to hide it. A lot of damage was done to the church and his family. I had to discontinue his appointment. The problem was that he did not want to recognize his dependency. I had to confront him and convince him that he needs to go to rehab center. We have agreed in the district to cover the cost of the rehab program for him. After the program he lived peacefully for several moths. But unfortunately, he failed again. We have arranged another rehab program for him. Unfortunately, he left the program before it was finished. At this point I have initiated the process of his removal from our conference. It was sad and tragic experience. Now he and his wife attend one of our churches. We continue to pray for him.

33. Teaching: What experience do you have in a teaching role? How has your teaching style evolved during your ministry?

I have had several opportunities to teach students in Moscow Methodist Theological Seminary, Tallinn Methodist Seminary in Estonia, and Centers for Church Leadership in Vladivostok, Ukraine (prior to 2020) and Central Asia (Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan). My teaching focus was mainly on Methodist theology and discipline, church leadership and mission. My teaching style has shifted over the years to more engagement for the students to work on case studies, solving problems and use their critical thinking. While I teach the basic material I challenge students to find the solution themselves which prepares them for real life ministry. Besides seminaries I have taught at various conferences and seminars world wide on subjects of spirituality, peace making, Russian culture, preaching and leading Bible studies.