East-West Church & Ministry Report
Vol. 4, No. 1, Winter 1996, Covering the Former Soviet Union and East Central Europe


Baptists in the Former Soviet Union and East Central Europe

Matt Miller, compiler

Former Soviet Union
Country
Churches
Members
Armenia
23
790
Azerbaijan
15
497
Belarus
135
9,927
Estonia
85
6,571
Georgia
34
4,000
Kazakhstan
203
14,545
Kyrgyzstan
20
3,460
Latvia
70
6,000
Lithuania
6
320
Moldova
225
17,800
Russia
1,255
98,848
Tajikistan
7
347
Turkmenistan
3
112
Ukraine
1,400 
160,481
Uzbekistan
25
3,500
Subtotal for Former Soviet Union
3,506
327,198

East Central Europe
Country
Churches
Members
Albania
3
67
Bosnia
1
40
Bulgaria
30
2,500
Croatia
30
2,030
Czech Republic
38
2,221
Hungary
252
11,161
Macedonia
2
39
Poland
67
3,770
Romania
1,422
109,043
Slovakia
15
1,843
Slovenia
4
130
Yugoslavia 
(Serbia & Montenegro)
51
1,368
Subtotal for East Central Europe
1,915
134,212
     
Totals for Former Soviet Union and East Central Europe
5,421
461,410
Source: Albert W. Wardin, ed., Baptists Around the World: A Comprehensive Handbook (Nashville: Broadman and Holman Publishers, 1995), 474 pp. Available in hardcover for $34.99 from Broadman and Holman Publishers, 127 Ninth Ave. N., Nashville, TN 37234; tel: 615-251-2000, 800-251-3225; fax: 615-251-3870.

Editors' note: Wardin's reference work provides up-to-date coverage of Baptist churches in former Communist nations. Sections for each country open with statistics on churches and membership for various Baptist denominations. Brief historical overviews trace organizational developments, church life, and theological distinctives, while descriptive multilingual bibliographies point readers to further sources.

See EWC&MReport 1 (Winter 1993), 11, for earlier membership statistics. Readers who might have expected higher numbers for Baptists in the former Soviet Union should keep in mind the effect of Western immigration, the establishment of a separate Pentecostal Union, and the fact that membership is a stricter criterion than total adherents, which would include children and regular attenders.


Matt Miller, compiler, "Baptists in the Former Soviet Union and East Central Europe," East-West Church & Ministry Report, 4 (Winter 1996), 7.

Written permission is required for reprinting or electronic distribution of any portion of the East-West Church & Ministry Report.

© 1996 Institute for East-West Christian Studies
ISSN 1069-5664


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