ANALYSIS
The year was 1991, and the Soviet Union had just collapsed.
It seemed to many like a wonderful new era of freedom — the long-awaited and dreamed-of moment when Russian-speaking people everywhere could finally listen to the Gospel and Bible teaching without fear of the secret police knocking on their door.
But 6,000 miles away in California, the much-beloved and respected Pastor John MacArthur — whose public memorial service takes place on Aug. 23 in Los Angeles — was worried.
If the floodgates were open, just what “gospel” would these spiritually hungry people be exposed to? Suddenly, Russia and the former Soviet republics were open to all manner of religious doctrines, including many different Christian denominations and sects.
Already, some American preachers of the so-called prosperity gospel and other questionable “evangelists” were moving in. As a lifelong devotee of the simple, biblical Gospel message, MacArthur was not only horrified by this American-inspired corruption of the true Gospel — he was actually embarrassed to be seen as an “American pastor.”
MacArthur faced a dilemma. One with eternal consequences. The former Soviet Union was in danger of becoming the theological Wild West — and millions could be lured into a false gospel.
As he later recalled: “Soviet people had been indoctrinated with atheism and shielded from the truth of Scripture. They therefore had no means of distinguishing truth from falsehood in religion.” What could be done to ensure that the real Gospel, and the integrity of the Word of God, reached the ears and the hearts of the Russian-speaking peoples?
Russia in His Heart
Even before the fall of the Iron Curtain and the collapse of communism, MacArthur had a passion to reach the Russian-speaking world with the Gospel. His goal? To faithfully preach the Good News and teach the Word so that souls would be saved and churches would be strong and multiply.
For such an undertaking, MacArthur sought strategic alliances. Through his relationship with Dr. Bob Provost, a long-time elder at Grace Community Church which MacArthur pastored for 56 years, he teamed up with Slavic Gospel Association (SGA), a ministry that has served evangelical churches and pastors in the former Soviet Union for more than nine decades.
This dynamic partnership has had a huge impact on the evangelical movement across a vast region spanning 11 time zones. During frequent visits to Russia and Ukraine, MacArthur led conferences for local pastors and church workers, teaching them out of the depth of his Bible knowledge, and encouraging them as one pastor to another. His obvious love and concern for his fellow pastors always shone through.
And so countless evangelical churches across the former Soviet Union were strengthened at a time when they were vulnerable to false and misleading doctrines. The local pastors — including many young pastors-in-training — knew that this was truly a man of God, a humble pastor who held the Word of God in the highest esteem as they did.
SGA translated several of MacArthur’s books and Bible commentaries into Russian for distribution through seminaries and Bible institutes supported by the mission agency. In this way, the influence of MacArthur’s life and teachings continues to shape and strengthen pastors and their churches across the region today.
A Gospel Legacy
In short, John MacArthur’s passion to serve God in Russia and the former Soviet nations is not just another remarkable chapter of his faithful global ministry — it’s a legacy of helping to ensure generations of pastors there continue to be equipped to preach the true Gospel.
To this day and beyond, thousands of young, new pastors from the frontlines in Ukraine to Russia’s Arctic Circle faithfully proclaim the Word of God with boldness and integrity — largely because of John MacArthur’s lifelong dedication to the unchanging Truth.
Now he’s in the presence of the One whom he adored and followed to “the ends of the earth.”
Churches across the former Soviet Union both mourn his passing — and rejoice at the priceless gift he gave them.
“Molodets, dobryy i vernyy sluga!” (“Well done, good and faithful servant!”)
— Michael Johnson is president of Slavic Gospel Association (SGA), an Illinois-based mission agency that serves local evangelical churches and supports local missionary pastors across Russia and the former Soviet Union.
