The Gospel makes inroads in Muslim dominated areas of the former Soviet Union.

CIS (MNN)–The Gospel is making inroads into the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Slavic Gospel Association’s Joel Griffith says there are a few places where the Gospel is welcomed, like Kazakhstan, but evangelistic work becomes more problematic in the Muslim-influenced territories of the CIS. “This has always been historically a relatively free area for Bible preaching churches to go an minister. Then, you turn around and contrast that to a place like Turkmenistan which is probably the most repressive of all the former Soviet Republics to evangelical churches. Most churches there have to act underground.”

Griffith urges prayer for ministry there, which he says is expanding in “baby steps”. “In some countries like Kazakhstan, where it’s been relatively open, our ministry has been able to be of assistance to Bible preaching churches there fairly openly. Other places like Uzbekistan and even some church planters that we sponsor in the Russian region of Chechnya, we have to be very security conscious.”