Programs of Transfiguration Baptist Church

The ministry is strongly committed to the local church, so it is no coincidence that it is located on the site of Transfiguration Baptist Church. This is a constant reminder to the attendees of their goal to shepherd the flock of God. The purpose is to strengthen the church in Russia by equipping pastors, church planters, and Bible teachers to preach God’s Word accurately and effectively. This is accomplished through two programs:

The part-time program is designed for pastors who have received a basic, entry-level Bible institute education. The program is comprised of eight, two-week sessions over the span of two years. This modular approach allows busy pastors and Bible teachers who live great distances from Samara to receive training at without having to relocate their families and leave their ministries. The men who attend this program will learn theology, hermeneutics, history of preaching, the practice of expository preaching, preaching through the OT and NT, principles of teaching, biblical counseling, preaching Galatians, preaching Psalms, pastoral ministry, preaching labs, current theological issues, etc.

The full-time program is designed for men who have gone through the part-time program. It comprises a rigorous three year plan with emphasis on original languages (Greek and Hebrew), theology, life of Christ, pastoral epistles, biblical counseling, exposition of Genesis, church history, apologetics, evangelism, OT intro, NT intro, pastoral ministry, exposition of Hebrews, ministry roundtables, a thesis paper, several intensive courses by guest speakers, etc. Additionally, each student is required to intern in local churches. These internships provide opportunities for attendees to preach regularly, be involved in evangelistic and church planting efforts, gain valuable leadership experience by serving alongside other pastors, and assist in the training of others saints for the work of ministry. Currently, there are about 25 students in this program.

This ministry is making an ever-increasing impact upon the Russian church. Because of the exemplary reputation of the ministry as faithful to the Word of God, men travel over several time zones, spending days on the train in order to attend. These men return much better equipped to lead their flocks and to start new churches.

Our Role

Academic. I first became interested in Samara when one of the missionaries told me that thirty students were turned away in every incoming class because there were not enough professors to teach them. Their most pressing need is for a church history professor, so I will primarily fill that void, filling in for other classes where needed. Team leader Brad Klassen has also asked me to oversee the full-time program and to serve as associate editor for The Pulpit Almanac, the first edition of which will be released in 2009.

Church. We are strongly committed to planting new churches and strengthening the ones established. We primarily work with our graduates to accomplish this goal. Consequently, each professor attends a different church in order to help strengthen, guide, and serve where needed.

How You Can Support Us

Prayer

Your prayer support is invaluable. You may pray more intelligently for us by visiting our missionary web-page. You will find us at the Grace Community Church website. On this site, you will click "Missionary Adoption" in the right column. You will then be prompted to create an account. Once you have signed up, click on "Missionaries," and scroll down to our names and click “Subscribe.” You will be privy to prayer/ministry info, needs, audio, video, photos, and you will be notified when our future newsletters are available.

Financially

If you believe that God is calling you to support us financially, there are several ways you can do this:

Grace Community Church Website. Follow the same steps as above in order to gain access to our missionary web-page. Once you sign up with an online account and find yourself on our page, click on “Support This Missionary” and you may give a one-time gift or choose to support us monthly (your credit/debit card is automatically charged each month). If you need help with this, I can guide you through the process.

GMI Direct. Fill out a form that gives GMI (Grace Ministries International) permission to charge your checking account monthly. This is for those who want to deduct it from their checking account as opposed to having it done over the internet. I will send you this form if you would prefer this method.

Check. Just send a check to:

Grace Ministries International

13248 Roscoe Boulevard

Sun Valley, CA 91352

memo line: Jonathan Moorhead

1. ✴Please note that all gifts are tax deductible and 100% of your contribution will go to our ministry in Samara (GMI does not charge administrative fees).