Churches that have not registered must be dissolved under terms of legislation the Duma passed in March when it extended for one year the registration deadline. McFarland agrees that much of the backlog can be attributed to a lack of resources. But financial appeals to religious and legal groups in the U.S. have been unsuccessful, the attorney said. Churches can't operate unless they have the right legal foundation. We need to figure out a way to help churches comply with the law to help get the gospel out.
Churches are more interested in evangelization.
To me that's the biggest problem. Homer said her experience in Russia suggests that the government would accept legal help if it were offered. We should try to help Russia figure out how to deal with it. In the May 1 commission report, the panel praised the State Department and the Office of International Religious Freedom for the quality and timeliness of its September 1999 survey. The commission suggested, however, that the State Department report could be improved by prioritizing and evaluating information and placing it in context.