As of today, in the city of Kyiv alone, nine churches have canceled Sunday services because of the pastor shortage. In the Kyiv region, more than 20 churches have been left without leadership. The ministers who have stayed in Ukraine are concerned that this problem will have long-lasting consequences for the evangelical church in Ukraine, and they have taken this need to the Lord in prayer.
By God’s grace, the Lord has raised up many believers to fill these gaps. They are enthusiastically involved in ministry, and the Lord continues to do great work in Ukraine through them. However, their backgrounds are in the marketplace, not church leadership, because they did not plan to become ministers. God’s call in such a time as this has led them to commit themselves to the ministry, but many lack Bible knowledge and basic leadership training. They are asking for training!
Seeing this need, the Association of the Churches of Evangelical Christian-Baptists of Kyiv has asked Kyiv Theological Seminary (KTS) to organize a compressed educational program for ministers who have taken on pastoral responsibilities during the war. These new ministers need theological foundations, mentoring and church leadership skills.
The president of KYS, Ruslan Khmyz, said, “In response to this urgent need, we organized the Linteum School of Pastoral Leadership at KTS. (Linteum in Latin means the towel with which Jesus wiped the feet of the disciples.) The Lord has brought together a strong team of Christ-minded people who have developed the program.
“The program needs financial support. For the majority of the brothers, it will be very difficult to afford even partial coverage of the cost of education, because the financial situation in Ukraine is very difficult.”
Students will take courses at the seminary three days each month over two years, completing 16 Bible and pastoral courses. In addition, they will be mentored and engage in theological and practical panel discussions weekly, covering issues such as baptism, ordination and dedication, the Lord’s Supper, ministry in a time of war, work with widows, teaching and other practical topics. Ten students are already committed to participating.
Establishing the Linteum School of Pastoral Leadership will cost $30,000, which underwrites the costs for 25 students over two years. Your gift to this groundbreaking theological training will create curriculum, cover professors’ stipends, and scholarship students who will find it hard to pay for education because of the shattered Ukrainian financial situation.
If you have wondered how you can touch the lives of Ukrainians affected by this war, prayerfully consider a gift to establish the Linteum School. These new gospel ministers are reaching out to those whose lives are shattered, telling them about the love of our God, who sees their plight and loves them. Your partnership will strengthen their ministries and transform lives for eternity. 
With 810 million people, 51 sovereign states and 200 spoken languages, Europe is rich in diversity and character. These distinct cultures create a continent of global influence through language, politics, finance, fashion, and food. Though diverse, the peoples of Europe do have one thing in common—more than 98% do not follow Jesus.
Instead of seeing Europe’s decidedly post-Christian culture as a hindrance, IMB teams see the potential of what God wants to do on and through this influential continent. Not only do Europeans need the hope of the gospel, making it a primary place for ministry, but the global reach of its cities also makes it a strategic place as well. Immigrants comprise more than 15% of the population of gateway cities such as London, Paris, Madrid and Vienna.
Through dreaming big and taking faith-filled risks, IMB teams are connecting with European nationals, sharing the gospel and training local leaders. Their aim is to develop strong local leadership in every city and province who will lead biblically faithful and reproducing churches. Churches that plant new healthy churches will send the gospel to the nations of the world from every borough, town and village of the beautifully diverse continent of Europe.