At the same time, offerings given in rubles decline because church members themselves, hit by inflation or unemployment, cannot or are hesitant to give. Although the makeup of Moscow Bible Church differs from a more typical Russian church, the church's situation illustrates the effects of the crisis. Assistant pastor Vitali Petrov estimates that, among Russian working people, at least 80 percent suffered pay cuts, layoffs, or job losses. An undetermined number of foreign business people attending the church lost jobs and left the country. He reports that attendance is up at his church by about 20 percent, and says he has talked with people who point to the crisis as the event that providentially led them to Christ.
Unemployed members volunteer more time to ministering in the church.
Volodia Sapegin, pastor of a 180-member Baptist church southwest of Moscow, has watched his church's offering decline since the crisis began, creating a difficult situation for the ministry. The majority of the church's members are middle-aged or pensioners. As the cost of food and basic necessities increases, members are left with less to give. If the trend continues, the church will face more serious problems, he said. But Mr. Sapegin sees no change in the spiritual climate among his older Russian congregation.