Project Amount: $13,000

Field Description: With the fall of the Soviet Union, Kyrgyzstan became an independent state in 1991. Although the 1993 constitution defines the form of government as a democratic republic with substantial civil rights for its citizens, economic challenges, criminal manipulation of the economy, and attempted invasions by Tajik Islamic militants have led to a crackdown on some democratic freedoms.

While the 4.7 million inhabitants of Kyrgyzstan are economically poor, their mountainous 123,000-square-mile country is rich in natural resources. Among those resources are significant deposits of gold, coal, oil, and natural gas, as well as nepheline, mercury, bismuth, lead, antimony, uranium, and zinc. The mountainous terrain also lends itself to the generation of hydroelectric power, which Kyrgyzstan uses and exports to neighboring countries. Sixty-four percent of the population is involved in agriculture. The main agricultural products and exports are cotton, wool, and meat. The new government has carried out progressive market reforms, but there has been only moderate growth since 1995.

The constitution and the law provide for freedom of religion and the right of all citizens to choose and practice their own religion; however, the government does not fully protect these rights. The government does not support any religion and expressly forbids the teaching of religion (or atheism) in public schools.

In March 1996, the government created a new “State Commission on Religious Affairs.” Officially, this commission was created to promote religious tolerance, protect freedom of conscience, and oversee laws on religion. All religious organizations are required to register with the commission. One source indicates that 78 percent of the population adheres to the Muslim religion. However, the practice and understanding of Islam is low—Spiritism is much more common. Fear of the “evil eye” causes many people to wear amulets. The occult, shaman priests, and demonizations are widespread. Depending on the source used, between five and eight percent of the population is classified as Christian. Thirteen percent is listed as non-religious, though Protestant groups marked a six percent increase in recent years.

LCMS World Mission began work in Kyrgyzstan in 1998. Concordia Lutheran Church was registered in Kyrgyzstan in 2000. To date, there are approximately 15 congregations and mission starts in Kyrgyzstan and two ordained pastors.

This project is essential to the work of the church. New believers and new churches need guidance from the Word and Spirit, which they receive from trained pastors and teachers. Without spiritual leaders, the Gospel touches would not happen. With training and guidance, all the believers in the church will share Christ with the world around them. The church will stand or fall on the Word of God, and the church will grow or die on the Spirit of God. Men of God, filled with the Spirit and apt to teach, help make the churches strong and alive.

This project will also have a multiplier effect in meeting the objectives of Ablaze! Those who are trained are trained to be trainers of others. Training is also available for women and men to become evangelists, church planters, teachers, and leaders. The multiplying effect of all the training courses will connect with more than 5,000 people who will hear the Gospel and have an opportunity to respond.

Theological training is provided to the men who desire to learn the Bible and Lutheran theology, so that they may become thoroughly equipped men of God. These men will bring the Word of God to the believers in Christ so that they can bring the witness of Christ to the unbelievers around them. Although by now many people in Kyrgyzstan have heard something about Jesus Christ, 99 percent of the atheists and Muslims still do not know the meaning of the death and resurrection of Christ.

There are currently 15 students attending the seminary classes regularly, preparing to become pastors. Two men have been ordained, so there are now two national pastors who can teach the other students. Two more candidates will be ordained during the coming six months. Several student pastors are able to preach in several locations every week because the worship services are held during the week on different days.

Following is an excerpt from the February 20, 2007 newsletter of Tim & Rita Nickel, LCMS missionaries in Kyrgyzstan:

“Our first Kyrgyz pastor, Kenjibek, was ordained on Sunday, February 18. Yakov, a Russian, had been ordained two years ago. Now, by God’s grace, He has given to the people of Kyrgyzstan two pastors publicly recognized for their gifts and God-given ability to lead and teach God’s people in the Way of Truth. It was an exciting day of celebration as several people from many churches gathered in the city to celebrate the ordination, over 150 people all together.

Kenjibek was miraculously changed by the grace of God. His life, by his own admission, was headed for destruction. He could see no sense in life. He drank heavily, beat his wife, and could not hold a job. His wife, Alymkan, came to the Lord and began praying for him. After he saw the changes and miracles in her life, he began to show a little interest. After our praying for him, his drinking actually worsened and he tried to kill himself. Then slowly, over the course of one year, he was drawn to the love of God. He knelt down by himself and asked God to save him. Jesus did save him. He forgave him and set him free. After listening to the Word of God for a few months, he desired to be baptized. When he was baptized, in June, 2002, Alymkan said that he would one day be a pastor, even if it took five years. And now here it is a little less than five years, and he is an ordained pastor. Kenjibek has been such a powerful witness to the grace of God, especially for those who knew him before Christ came into his life. He is able to touch the hearts of the men of this land, because he is one of them and has traveled the same futile paths which so many of them are traveling. He still has the scars of his life without Jesus. He has brought many to Christ and was instrumental in gathering groups together, which later became house churches. As the present time, he is attempting to visit as many as nine churches every week. And even while doing this, he is going to new places to start new groups. Kenjibek is Ablaze! in Kyrgyzstan! The good news is that he cannot do all of this by himself, so other lay people must lead worship and Bible teaching in places where he cannot come every week. This means that more people are growing in the service of the Kingdom of God.

Alymkan continues to serve the Lord as an evangelist. She witnesses in the traveling eyeglass clinic three days a week. She presents the Gospel to every person who receives free eye glasses, often amounting to 20 Gospel touches a day. Alymkan also is learning community health education from Rita. As a community health evangelist, she has visited many homes and gives presentations in many churches about health and hygiene. Through the community health program, opportunities for sharing the Gospel come about by teaching about the life issues that people want to know. Then, the Gospel is presented and the listeners are invited to the local church. Because many of the women Alymkan reaches are married to alcoholics, she is able to give them real hope and encouragement. This mighty woman of prayer will be used greatly by God in this land. We pray that the Lord will raise up many more people like Kenjibek and Alymkan in this country and around the world. They really believe in a living, present God who loves all people, who answers prayers, who takes care of His children, and, above all, who gives eternal life to all who believe. The future of the Lutheran church in Kyrgyzstan now has a solid foundation and exampled leadership for the expected harvest of souls in Central Asia”.

Contact person: Rev. Tim Nickel

Training Pastors in Kyrgyzstan

Kenjibek, Alymkan and their family