Collective Practices of a Typical Community of the Evangelical Baptists in Late USSR

Abstract

The paper deals with the community life of the Baptist Church in the USSR, their composition, institutional structure and membership, liturgical life, legal status and “illegal” activities with underground prayer meetings, educational and publishing efforts, religious weddings, etc. The paper describes youth groups and their ambivalent relations with elder generations of believers; the role of women in community life. Some direct protests against curtailing religious liberty are also shown. The paper draws upon archival material and interviews.