Mission Russia International

About Mission Russia

WHO WE ARE AND WHERE WE COME FROM

Mission Russia is a church planting ministry with a two-stage vision:

• Stage One:   Church planting in Russia and the worldwide Russian-speaking community.
• Stage Two:   Worldwide church planting through the Stage One Russian Church.

Mission Russia was born when Hugo received a vision from God on the 2nd of October, 1992. Mission Russia became fully operational when Hugo and his wife Rika moved to Russia in March 1995, where they have been living since. Today they have three children and are permantly based in Moscow.

Mission Russia today operates in Russia, Kyrghystan, Armenia and Bosnia. Mission France is a small sister ministry of Mission Russia, and was founded in 1998.

Mission Russia’s full-time missionary team usually consists of more or less 20 missionaries, from different churches in South Africa.

Our 12 member Board is made up of church leaders and top quality Christians in the professional world. All members are close friends and have been with Mission Russia for more than 10 years. Hugo’s parents – Gerrit van Niekerk (Chairman of the Board) and Frieda van Niekerk who actively oversees and facilitates Mission Russia’s various functions in South Africa – serve as the anchor couple for the ministry in South Africa.

Two very prominent churches in South Africa, Lewende Woord Ministries (Nevil Norden) and Hatfield Christian Church (Francois van Niekerk), have been actively involved with Mission Russia for more than 10 years. Other churches like Dutch Reformed Church Meyerspark – where Hugo grew up as a child – and Meerensee Dutch Reformed Church have also been involved with Mission Russia for more than 10 years.

Apart from Mission Russia’s Board and full time missionaries, the ministry consists of hundreds of Christians worldwide who are faithfully praying for the salvation and transformation of Russia and the Russian-speaking world. This growing army of prayer warriors came into being in 1994 and is known as the Mission Russia Prayer Foundation.

In Russia, Mission Russia serves under the covering of the Association of Christian Churches of Russia “Union of Christians” (ACCR Union of Christians), a dynamic, growing association with more than 450 churches. Hugo is the only foreigner serving on ACCR Board of overseers, serving as overseer of the Central Region of Russia.

In 1999, Mission Russia launched the first specialized School of Ministry in Moscow, with the specific goal of church planting.

By 2008, more than 30 schools had been conducted in regions across Russia and the former Soviet Union, stretching from Kaliningrad next to Germany in the west to Vladivostok across the sea of Japan in the far east, from St. Petersburg and Solikamsk in the north, to the ancient, 3,500 year old town of Osh in Central Asia in the south and the Armenian town of Artashat in the foothills of Mt. Ararat.

During this time our strategy of working in close cooperation with local churches has born fruit – more than 100 new churches have been planted.

Through the years we have undertaken numerous mission trips, ranging from extreme north evangelization trips in sub below -50 degrees Celsius conditions to a mission trip with Russian youth to the Olympic Games.

Today Mission Russia is involved in a wide spectrum of ministry, including worship ministry, intercession and prayer ministries, youth ministry, media and Christian television, a 24 hour help line, leadership training, prison ministry, mercy ministry, arts & crafts ministry.

All dimensions of the five-fold ministry – the apostolic, prophetic, evangelistic, pastoral and teaching are integrated with the passionate purpose of birthing a vibrant Kingdom expanding church planting movement in the 21st century.

For that purpose we view these first stages of our ministry in Russia only as the foundational stages, laying a firm foundation for thousands of churches to be planted in the years to come.

Through these years of incredible challenges, we have observed the Almighty hand of the Father in our own lives, transforming us by the power of His Holy Spirit. This process is continuing to the present day and will continue for as long as we live. We are constantly amazed at how much we have changed since coming to Russia 13 years ago. His work in us is probably the most important part of the foundation laying He has done.

We also understand that eventually the ministry will have a global character, working in relationship unity with church planting movements worldwide.

Stand with the Kingdom of Heaven Church to grow into a one million member church in Moscow.
Expect God to do much more than you could ever think or imagine! Eph 3:20,21.