Insur Shamgunov: An Autobiographical Note

I was born in a culturally Muslim, but secular, home in my native Tatarstan, Russia. I grew up ideologically within the Soviet school system and became a convinced atheist. However, having witnessed perestroika and the collapse of Communism, I found myself on a spiritual journey, looking for meaning in life. In 1993, after several years of searching, I embraced evangelical Protestant Christianity.

I then began ministerial training in St. Petersburg at one of the first evangelical theological colleges in Russia. My studies followed a traditional Western theological curriculum, mostly oriented towards the transfer of “head knowledge.” Nevertheless, while in school I became particularly interested in the spiritual and practical dimensions of ministerial training, which have become major interests in my life.

After graduation I became part of a team that started a new church in Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan, and eventually became pastor of that church. Thus I had firsthand experience trying to transfer my theological training into the work place, with both successful and frustrating experiences in the process. During those years of active ministry, I also earned a master’s degree in theology at a university in the United Kingdom. In 1999, I founded a new ministry training college in Kazan. For the next five years I worked as the principal and a lecturer in that college. F