The survey of the convention’s delegates serves as a tool for us to better understand ourselves as an Association. It is a perfect opportunity make some conclusions and improvements for our future ministry. Having looked at the survey results, we can plan for achieving certain goals and move forward to these goals as opposed to being in a place where we are today. Although the convention’s delegates cannot truly reflect all 100% of the various views of all the PCSBA’s churches, nevertheless, they do represent the general understanding of the situation.
Sergey Pronin prepared the summary of the survey’s conclusions. He applied the scientific method of data analysis which allowed us to analyze the results in various categories, including by age groups. Through this article, I will summarize the survey results of various areas.
The first set of questions was intended to see the influence of the American culture and the process of assimilation of the last wave of immigration to the U.S. Under the question, “Are you listening to the well-known English preachers?” only 22.6% of people answered “No”, and 77.4% answered “Yes”. This means that the listeners who are coming to the church services at Slavic churches can easily compare the style and quality of the sermon of “the Slavic preachers” with the sermon of the American preachers. Perhaps a large percentage of listeners of American preachers do so through the translations, since 31.8% answered that they can understand English well, and majority of the delegates indicated that they have only a basic level of English (62.4%). In addition, 37.6% prefer to read the Bible in English. The majority of the delegates prefer to read the Bible in Russian and Ukrainian, even after 15-30 years of being here in the U.S.
Under the question pertaining to the life of the church and the realization of serving all generations, there seems to be a visible process of identifying and growing in this area. Under the question, “Are expository sermons preached in the church?” 82.3% said “Yes”, which surprises me since as I visit the churches of PCSBA, I rarely hear expository sermons. Perhaps not everyone understands the meaning of “expository preaching”, but that is a separate issue.
A large percentage of the delegates indicated that they are involved in one of the church’s small groups (71%). Perhaps this is because the delegates of the convention, as a general rule are active church members, and are heavily involved in the life of the local church, which perhaps consists of them attending small groups in their churches.
The questions related to the first and second generation of church members reveal something interesting. Question: “Do you think that your local church ought to serve generations other than your own?”, and the overwhelming majority said “Yes” (86.7%). This means that we have overcome the generational self-centeredness. Praise God! Under the question, “Do you have fellowship with representatives of another generation (depending on your age?)”, 94.7% answered “Yes”. That is remarkable. In general, I see a positive growth trend in the generational unity, as well as understanding the necessity of supporting the next generation by the first generation. That is why, as a result of this, the main answers to “What should be done to overcome generational barriers?” question, were:
- Fellowship (25.3%)
- Love (20%)
- Understanding (12%)
25.6% think that the language barrier is still the main problem of why the youth is leaving the Slavic churches. Perhaps that is not an issue so much in the churches with English services, however, even English services are shrinking if the quality of the sermons are not to the level of the listener’s expectations.
In questions about the necessity of supporting and training leaders of the second generation, there are questions such as: “Do you see a necessity to ordain youth leaders as pastors?”, 89.2% answered “Yes”. This means that in affirming the youth leader for his ministry we ought to perceive him as a candidate for pastor in accordance with the requirements of 1 Tim. 3, and as the spiritual leaders that they are. The youth leader must be more than just a “good organizer”, but also a spiritual leader who is responsible for spiritual growth. The high standards for the youth leaders requires their spiritual preparation. Under the question of “Is the church supportive of his training?” 81.8% answered “Yes”, and “Is the church ready to financially support a pastor after finishing seminary? 71% also answered “Yes”. It is encouraging to see such a positive attitude towards the future youth leaders. However, under the question of: “Is the youth leader currently being taught at an American seminary at the present time”, only 31.5% answered “Yes”. This means that it is necessary to find men who are called by God and support them in equipping them for ministry.
The survey results showed various aspects of the relationship among generations, and this is an area of constant development. The first generation must not lose time, and not miss out on the opportunity to influence the second generation. They must entrust the ministry to the young pastors who at the present time must “run the race” together with the representatives of the first generation. May the Lord bless us in this!
President of PCSBA of ECB, Ivan Mileyev
The survey summary can be accessed in this file (in Russian)..
