Teaching in Ukraine

Cameron here.

Jessica and Sara taking out for a walk in one of the parks

We arrived back home in Bucharest late Saturday night from a packed week in Ukraine. Via IMB colleague Russ Woodbridge, I was invited to teach a week-long Cross-Cultural Communication class at the Ukrainian Baptist Theological Seminary (UBTS) in L'viv, a city in western Ukraine close to the Polish border. Jessica and Sara were also able to come, which was really nice since they were able to join me for lunch at the seminary most days. Unfortunately, both Jessica and Sara got sick from the excess dust/pollution, and although Sara is fine now, Jessica is still battling a cough and head cold.

I really enjoyed teaching at UBTS last week. The atmosphere is nothing short of electric, as students from all over Ukraine (many from the war-torn East) are ecstatic and eager to learn. I approached my class as sort of a hybrid Intro to Communication/Intro to Missions, where I went through basics of culture, communication theory, contextualization, worldview, and cross-cultural conflict. In lieu of a written exam, I had the students give presentations for a cross-cultural ministry strategy. Interestingly, my translator is married to an American guy, and so I was thrilled when they offered to share from their experience during my cross-cultural conflict lecture. Score!

Look who came to join me for bortsch soup

My stellar Cross-Cultural Communication class

UBTS is a fairly new seminary, yet has an amazing story. The current president, an energetic visionary named Slavic, took over leadership about three years ago. At the time, UBTS had 35 students and was located far outside L'viv down an almost inaccessible road. Now they have over 600 students and are looking for more property! Slavic began building his administration with forward-thinking Ukrainian leaders who see the seminary existing for the church, not vice versa. On Friday evening, I was invited to his home to share a meal with him, as well as to meet other members of his leadership team and celebrate the birthday of another guest lecturer. I will probably never forget the things Slavic told me as I asked him question after question over coffee and cake.

Slavic, president of UBTS

Slavic told me he came to realize that, while many Ukrainian churches are rooted in the traditional machinery that often fails to produce passion and growth, the seminary is a controlled environment in which the faculty and staff can set the tone they wish to see in the churches. Baptisms, Slavic says, will be the measuring rod for the seminary's effectiveness. If after ten years the churches where students serve are not seeing an increase in baptisms, it means the seminary is not doing its job and must rethink their vision. As such, UBTS accents the practical-ministry aspect of theological education (seeing lost people saved) more than the theoretical-knowledge aspect (erudite scholarship). This is not to say deep scholarship is not done at UBTS, indeed Slavic pushes all his faculty and staff to pursue terminal degrees. It is clear, though, that it is the heart they are aiming at more than the head.

It truly was a joy to teach at UBTS last week. Lord willing, I'll be back in future years. To see that many young people so on fire for the Lord - for planting churches everywhere from L'viv to Kathmandu - was an incredible experience.

With my esteemed colleagues on the IMB Theological Education Team: Dan Upchurch (left) and Russ Woodbridge (middle). Dan teaches in Kyiv and Russ is the Academic Dean at UBTS.