East-West Church & Ministry Report
Vol. 5, No. 1, Winter 1997, Covering the Former Soviet Union and East Central Europe


Obstacles to Evangelism

Romanian John Moldovan identifies shortcomings which too often inhibit effective Western evangelism in post-Soviet societies

  1. Too many agencies focusing on the same cities;
  2. Too much Western preaching at the expense of local pastors;
  3. Too many Western sermons insensitive to the cultural context;
  4. Western agencies hiring local workers at extravagant salaries;
  5. Western donations with insufficient financial accountability;
  6. Poorly translated materials;
  7. Strained relations between Western and indigenous Christians;
  8. Difficulties in dealing with a lingering spirit of mistrust, conditioned by many decades of Communist manipulation;
  9. Unhealthy competition among churches and parachurch groups;
  10. Scalp-hunting, photo-op, hit-and-run evangelism that does not place enough emphasis upon discipleship;
  11. Inadequate efforts to reach young people; and
  12. Insufficient apologetics literature.
Dr. John Moldovan is professor of evangelism at Criswell College, Dallas, TX.  Comments taken from a presentation at the Russia Symposium, First Baptist Church, Dallas, TX, 7 December 1996.


John Moldovan, "Obstacles to Evangelism," East-West Church & Ministry Report, 5 (Winter 1997), 6.

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© 1997 Institute for East-West Christian Studies
ISSN 1069-5664


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