East-West Church & Ministry Report
Vol. 1, No. 1, Winter 1993, Covering the Former Soviet Union and East Central Europe

Christian Churches in the Former Soviet Union

Since relaxation of restrictions against religion in the former Soviet Union, the number of Christian denominations has increased dramatically. For Protestant groups, for which more detailed data are available, estimates of total community as well as membership are supplied.
 
Denomination Membership 
 

Subtotal
Total

Russian Orthodox*
50,000,000

Roman Catholic*
 5,500,000 
Total Community
Including
Children and Adherants
Eastern-rite Catholic*
 5,000,000 
Armenian Apostolic* 
3,000,000
Georgian Orthodox*
2,000,000 



subtotal
total
Protestants**



Evangelical Christians-Baptists
248,705
746,115
     Registered
208,705
626,115
     Autonomous
25,000
75,000
     Unregistered
15,000
45,000
Lutherans
570,000
1,140,000
     Estonia
175,000
350,000
     Latvia
120,000
240,000
     Lithuania
25,000
50,000
     German, mostly in Central Asia 
     and Siberia
250,000
500,000
Pentecostals
191,000
700,000
     Pentecostal Union
100,000
370,000
     Unregistered Pentecostals 
     (Fedotov)
80,000
290,000
     Other Pentecostals
11,000
40,000
Hungarian Reformed
100,000
200,000
Seventh-Day Adventists
80,000
160,000
     Registered
40,000
80,000
     Unregistered (True and Free)
40,000
80,000
Mennonites
3,300
7,050
Methodists
1,743
2,500
Protestant Sub-Totals
1,204,748
2,955,665
Protestant Sub-Totals  
in Round Figures
1,205,000
2,960,000
Grand Total 
in Round Figures
66,705,000

 
 *The Soviet Union, State and Religion (Ermelo, Netherlands: Open Doors, 1990).
**Mark Elliott with Robert Richardson. "Growing Protestant Diversity in the Former Soviet Union" in Russian Pluralism: Now Irreversible, edited by Uri Ra'ana, Keith Armes, and Kate Martin (New York: St. Martin's Press, January 1993).

"Christian Churches in the Former Soviet Union," East-West Church & Ministry Report, 1 (Winter 1993), 11.

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© 1993 East-West Church and Ministry Report
ISSN 1069-5664

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