Nickolai, pastor of two village churches. Comparing my studies at ZBCS with studies at other schools, what I want to emphasize is the high teaching level at Zaporozhye Bible College. ZBCS well serves as an example of how vital it is to connect the teaching of theory to practical ministry in the local churches.

Andrei, pastor. ZBCS is a great blessing. I will never forget the time I spent at the college. I made the decision to devote my life to the Lord’s service, and He, for His part, used ZBCS to give me the necessary knowledge for this, teaching me how to labor in His field with greater success.

Alexander, a missionary who also carries out pastoral duties. When it was suggested to me that I study at the college, I decided that I really didn’t need it. But the Lord communicated to me that I must study. And I have never regretted it. My over-confidence in my mastery of the Bible was dispelled during the first course. I gained not just knowledge but the capacity to interpret the Bible reliably. The college also assisted me in my church-planting ministry, helping me see that this was my true direction. After my graduation the college took part with me in the planting of eight new local churches. Along with this, I now do Bible study with a group of blind people, many of whom have now been baptized. If you still have doubts about whether to go to ZBCS, don’t hesitate: pray and apply!

Valery, youth pastor. ZBCS became a spiritual mother to me, raising and nurturing me as a future servant in the Lord’s field. It was here that I experienced a crucial reassessment of my values and priorities in life and here I made the decisive choice for consecrated, sacrificial service to Christ. The college not only became the place of spiritual formation, but it was here, too, that my wonderful family came into being. Upon graduation we were carrying out ministry. For three years my wife and I were missionaries in Podmoskovye, and then I became a youth minister. My wife is always by my side. She teaches children in Sunday School, runs the church library and is active in the life of the church.

Valentina, Sunday School teacher. Before I enrolled at the college I thought I knew quite enough to teach children in Sunday School. Only when I started studying at the college did I realize how small my supply of knowledge and experience was. The college revealed new horizons of ministry to me: I teach children, participate in child evangelism, prepare systematic Bible lesson plans, create visual lesson-aids and effectively present biblical truths. Zaporozhye Bible College became a firm foundation in my ministry to children who so greatly need salvation.

Yulia, choir director. Studying at ZBCS was God’s special blessing to me. Here I learned how to work in the church more fruitfully, and to joyfully receive whatever God sends my way. I studied in the music ministry leaders’ group. This taught me how to work with people. At the college I got to know many Christians, we grew spiritually together and benefited from each other’s experience in ministry. At present I am carrying out music ministry in church. I pray for my ministry to grow in effectiveness and that I might transmit the knowledge I acquired at the college to my brothers and sisters.

Oleg, former rector of a Bible institute. When freedom came to the Soviet Union, Christians gained the opportunity to get a theological education. That was my desire. I asked the Lord to make it possible for me. And so, in 1994, missionaries Mark and Joanne Mackey came from the USA and opened the first theological school in Zaporozhye. I studied in the pastoral ministry department from 1994 to 1997, which was the answer to my prayers. Here I experienced many blessings. The college was well organized with fine leadership and highly qualified teachers who exercised a beneficial influence on the formation of my theological worldview and spiritual growth. Also, during my studies the direction of my ministry took a major turn. A desire for further study arose in me, and the college director Mark Mackey referred me to a seminary where I studied from 1997 to 2002. After seminary I received a proposal to leave where I was living and go to Central Asia as a missionary. The Lord allowed me to work as rector of the Almatinsky Bible Institute, where students from four Moslem countries come to study. The knowledge I gained at ZBCS, I was able to apply at our institute, training students in systematic theology, biblical exegesis, Hebrew, and other subjects.

Today the Lord is giving me the change to serve in other countries, too. This entails teaching in diverse Bible schools, giving lectures at conferences and seminars.

My first three years of study, at Zaporozhye Bible College, provided me with a solid biblical foundation and the desire to labor in the area of theological education. The Lord gave me what I asked Him for. To me, the chance to bring the Word of God into the Moslem world began in the city of Zaporozhye, under the roof of ZBCS.