The Evangelical Russian Church (Russian: Евангелическая Русская Церковь; ЕРЦ) was founded in Leningrad by E. N. Nedzelsky,[2] who, together with a group of adherents separated from the Evangelical Christians-Baptist community on Poklonnaya Hill.[4] The first service was held in December 1990.[1] The denomination sought to combine Protestantism (where preaching and community life are central) with the traditions of Russian spirituality and elements of Orthodox liturgy.[4][5] Distinctive features of the Evangelical Russian Church's services include the wearing of vestments by the clergy, the use of candles and icons, and the singing of Orthodox hymns.[6][4][5]
| Evangelical Russian Church | |
|---|---|
| Евангелическая Русская Церковь | |
 | |
| Abbreviation | ЕРЦ |
| Type | Eastern Christianity |
| Classification | Eastern Protestant |
| Orientation | Evangelicalism (with Eastern Orthodoxy, Baptist Christianity, Lutheranism and Anglicanism influences)[1] |
| Scripture | Bible |
| Theology | Prima scriptura |
| Polity | Congregationalist |
| Presbyter | Yevgeny Nedzelsky (1990–2003) Sergey Stepuchov (since 2003) |
| Region |  RSFSR (1990–1991) Russia (since 1991) |
| Language | Russian |
| Headquarters | 199004, Sredny Avenue Vasilyevsky Ostrov 18B, Saint Petersburg, Russia |
| Founder | E. N. Nedzelsky |
| Origin | December 1990 Leningrad |
| Separated from | Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists (1990) |
| Congregations | several (initially)[2] 1 (now) |
| Members | 1,000 members (initially)[3] 400 members (in 2002)[1] 100 members (in 2003)[3] more than 100 members (in 2004)[3] |
| Tax status | Local religious organization |
From 1993 to 2003, the Church operated Radio Teos.[3] During this period, the station broadcast from St. Petersburg on medium wave, covering Moscow at 1134 kHz and St. Petersburg at 1089 kHz.[7] Addtionally, from 1998 to 1999, Church pastors hosted the television program Мы говорим о вечном... (We are talking about the eternal...) on the regional cable channel Петроний (Petronius). The political party Союз христианского созидания (Christian Union for Edification), created on the initiative of Nedzelsky in 1995, was affiliated with the Church.[1] In the 1995 Russian legislative election, the party nominated one candidate in the Eastern constituency,[8] but he failed to win. In the 1996 Russian presidential election, the party supported Yeltsin's candidacy and campaigned for him.[1]
Although founded as an ecumenical organization,[1][2] it criticizes various new religious movements (e.g., Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, Scientology, and the Theotokos Center) for distorting fundamental Christian doctrines.[7]
In 2003, allegations of sexual abuse by Nedzelsky against female parishioners emerged. This led to his resignation as a presbyter of the Church.[3] He was subsequently excommunicated after selling Radio Teos to the Christian Broadcasting Association Radiotserkov[2] for several hundred thousand US dollars, a transaction from which the community received no proceeds.[3][6]
Since 2012, the Evangelical Russian Church has held services every Sunday at St. Michael's Church.[9]
Notes
edit- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Филатов С.Б., Лункин Р.Н. (2003). "I. Протестантизм". Современная религиозная жизнь России. Опыт систематического описания [Contemporary Religious Life in Russia: An Attempt at a Systematic Description] (in Russian) (Бурдо М., Филатов С.Б. ed.). Москва: Логос. p. 224–230. ISBN 5-94010-209-3.
- 1 2 3 4 "Россия". Православная энциклопедия [Russia. Orthodox Encyclopedia] (in Russian). Vol. 60. Москва: Церковно-научный центр "Православная энциклопедия". 2020. pp. 175–275. ISBN 978-5-89572-067-7.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Сергей Романов (2004). "Недзельский книжку написал про секс, про Церковь и про Бога…". Российская православная газета «Вечный зов» (in Russian). Archived from the original on 24 September 2021. Retrieved 26 June 2026.
- 1 2 3 Анастасия Струкова, Сергей Филатов (2003). "От протестантизма в России к русскому протестантизму". magazines.gorky.media (in Russian). Горький. Retrieved 29 June 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - 1 2 "В Петербурге протестантский пастор принял Православие". sedmitza.ru (in Russian). Церковно-научный центр «Православная энциклопедия». 5 July 2007. Retrieved 29 June 2026.
- 1 2 "Евангельские христиане". Православная энциклопедия [Evangelical Christianity. Orthodox Encyclopedia] (in Russian). Vol. 17. Москва: Церковно-научный центр "Православная энциклопедия". 2008. pp. 40–44. ISBN 978-5-89572-030-1.
- 1 2 Зарубежная и российская журналистика: Трансформация картины мира и ее содержания [Foreign and Russian Journalism: Transformation of the Worldview and its Content] (in Russian). Барнаул: Изд-во АГТУ. ISBN 5-7568-0433-1. Retrieved 27 June 2026.
- ↑ Татьяна Драбкина (October 1995). "Санкт-Петербург в октябре 1995 года". igpi.ru (in Russian). Международный институт гуманитарно-политических исследований. Retrieved 30 June 2026.
- ↑ "Евангелическая Русская Церковь". afisha.drevolife.ru (in Russian). Христианская афиша «Протестанты Петербурга». Retrieved 26 June 2026.