Nikolaev heads Moscow United Methodist seminary
By United Methodist News Service
Feb. 12, 2008
|
The Rev. Sergei V. Nikolaev
|
The Rev. Sergei V. Nikolaev has been elected president of the Russia United Methodist Theological Seminary in Moscow.
The election by the seminary’s board of trustees was effective Jan. 1.
Nikolaev will continue to teach as the E. Stanley Jones Professor of
Evangelism as part of the seminary's Ruediger and Gerlinde Minor Chair.
Calling the election "a great honor," Nikolaev said he hopes the
seminary will lead development of the denomination in Eurasia,
"strengthening the Methodist theological and spiritual identity."
He succeeds the Rev. Tobias Dietze, a missionary from Germany, who had
led the seminary since its opening in 1995. More than 100 pastors have
studied there through residency and correspondence programs, coming from
as far away as Siberia and the Far East, Central Asia, Ukraine and
Belarus. More than 30 students are enrolled during the current academic
year.
Nikolaev recently received his doctorate in the History of Christian
Tradition from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, where his
dissertation explored the issue of Orthodox church relations to
non-Orthodox churches. As part of his education at Southern Methodist,
he received the Dempster Fellowship from the United Methodist Board of
Higher Education and Ministry and a fellowship from the Foundation for
Evangelism.
“My vision is that the Russian seminary
will assume a true leadership position in developing the United
Methodist Church in Eurasia, strengthening the Methodist theological and
spiritual identity.”–The Rev. Sergei V. Nikolaev
United Methodist Bishop Scott Jones, a seminary trustee and one of
his former professors at Southern Methodist, called Nikolaev’s selection
"a bold and strategic step for the Russia Initiative." Jones cited
Nikolaev's intelligence and knowledge of both Christian history and
Russian culture.
An ordained elder in the Russia United Methodist Church, Nikolaev
previously served as pastor of Perovo United Methodist Church and
director of the Moscow Evening Bible School for Laity. He has been a
member of ongoing Orthodox-Wesleyan consultations since 2000. During his
doctoral studies, Nikolaev served as a visiting professor to the
Russian seminary, where he was appointed the E. Stanley Jones Professor
of Evangelism in 2005.
With the support of the Moscow episcopal office and the Foundation for
Evangelism, he initiated the Competition for the Best Project of
Evangelism, encouraging responsible evangelism in Russia and the former
Soviet Republics.
Nikolaev will be a delegate to the 2008 United Methodist General
Conference and recently was elected co-chairperson of the Oxford
Institute of Methodist Theological Studies.
News media contact: Linda Bloom, New York, (646) 369-3759 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
Related Articles
Pastor’s hobby raises $85,000 for Russian seminary
United Methodist Russians, U.S. supporters meet
Russian seminary symbolizes United Methodist vision, service
Resources
Russia United Methodist Theological Seminary
Russia Initiative
Southern Methodist University |
Translate
Korean News
