Inside Russia 

Russia is a vast country encompassing 11 time zones.  The land area is three times the lower 48 of the United States!  It is estimated that, even with freedoms of the past 15 years, over 20,000 villages and towns have no Christian witness.  In contrast, approximately one-third of its 139 million people lives in 11 urban centers of more than one million each. Learn more about Russia at the CIA's World Factbook.

The Challenge

Communism brought untold suffering to the Russian people, especially to believers in Jesus Christ. Churches were closed, pastors imprisoned and Christian young people prevented from attending college. The State sponsored atheism of the Soviet years has left a spiritual and moral void. The collapse of Communism brought fresh winds of freedom and hope to those who had persevered in faith. However, the churches faced a new challenge. How could they proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a nation where hopelessness, alcoholism and drug abuse were rampant? Today, Russia is a nation at risk. The population is declining precipitously, corruption is rampant and life expectancy is short. Moreover, Russia is home to many people groups who are unreached by the Gospel (visit The Joshua Project to learn more about Russia's unreached people groups).

Although the situation appears bleak, RLM believes its greatest task is to prepare leaders for the churches in Russia. Transforming the lives of leaders who are called to serve in Christ’s kingdom is paramount to the RLM mission.  

Buildings are important, but they eventually decay. Programs are vital, but they eventually run out of steam. Trained leaders, on the other hand, have an impact that has an eternal consequence.