HopeRussia
Theological Seminary & Church Planting Partnership, St. Petersburg
2024 VISION TRIP ANTALYA TURKEY APRIL 24-27
I came to the seminary in 2015 seeking more intellectual depth in my faith. But then through the seminary courses on discipleship and family I realized that God actually cared about how I treated my wife. God actually cared about my character. This was a huge challenge for me and a wonderful change. And now as a church planter I am a much more mature leader because of my being mentored personally by Blake Purcell and others in the HopeRussia seminary. As far as I know there is no other seminary in Russia that focuses on our character and walk with God as much as HopeRussia does. I praise God for the privilege of studying and growing in Christ in that brotherhood for the last six years.
Blake Purcell’s course on biblical worldview has removed the blinders from my eyes, broadening both my approach to ministry and how I teach the Scriptures to my congregation. Now I understand that God has an eternal plan for his creation and that the Bible has a single Christ-centered plot because Jesus is the Lord of history.
Before I came to HopeRussia Seminary, I did not know how to use the whole Bible in my life and ministry. I worked at the church until 11 o’clock every night. I spent no meaningful time with my wife and children. So when I learned the Biblical approach to life and ministry in which a husband and father prioritizes those roles, especially when he is a pastor, this radically changed my life, saved my family, and even kept me in the ministry. I think I would have quit if it were not for the teaching and coaching that Blake and the staff do with us.