As conflict continues to affect Ukraine, reports from inside the country suggest that many people are turning to the church in search of support and meaning.
At the European Congress on Evangelism held in Berlin on May 29, Ukrainian evangelist David Karcha spoke about how churches in his country have remained active and have even seen growth in attendance despite ongoing hardship.
Karcha addressed the audience of European church leaders, offering an update on the situation in Ukraine and how the local evangelical community has responded. He said churches across the country have adapted to meet both the spiritual and practical needs of their communities. He described a period of intense pressure that forced church leaders and congregants to make serious decisions about how they would respond. According to him, Ukrainian evangelicals chose not to retreat but to stay present and walk through the crisis with their fellow citizens.
“This was not because we had a plan, not because we felt ready, but because we saw that even the smallest act done in faith becomes a part of something much greater,” he said.
Karcha said he brought greetings from the wider evangelical Church in Ukraine, clarifying that he was not referring to buildings or structures but to the people. “Because then they’d not be allowed to suffer,” he noted. He explained that the church in Ukraine was active, present, and unbound by physical limitations.
The day before his speech, Franklin Graham met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Berlin to pray for peace. Karcha’s remarks complemented this meeting by showing how faith communities inside Ukraine have continued their work under difficult circumstances.
Karcha said churches in Ukraine had seen a notable increase in interest from people who were previously unfamiliar with Christianity. Many individuals had walked through church doors for the first time in their lives and encountered both spiritual and practical assistance. He said these churches had made efforts to serve not just physical needs, but also emotional and spiritual ones.
He told the story of Viktor, a man in his fifties who arrived at Karcha’s church during the early stages of the war. According to Karcha, Viktor was a quiet man who appeared weighed down by past experiences. One day, he asked to speak privately and shared that he had known about God since childhood but had spent many years avoiding him. Eventually, he expressed his readiness to commit his life to Christ. “He cried. He wept. And he was born again, right in front of our eyes,” Karcha said.
He also relayed a story he had heard from a German pastor at the same event. A woman who had fled Ukraine as a refugee arrived in Germany without any background in church. She sought shelter in a local congregation and was welcomed. After receiving care, food, and hearing about Jesus, she chose to give her life to Christ.
Karcha said the religious revival in Ukraine was often overshadowed by narratives about persecution. While he acknowledged that persecution was a reality, he emphasized that the growth of evangelical Christianity in Ukraine was a larger story. In 2023 alone, he said, Baptist churches in the country saw thousands publicly profess their faith through baptism.
He added that churches had become more aware of the spiritual hunger in the population and had taken active steps to respond. Over the last three years, he said hundreds of thousands of people visited Ukrainian churches and received support. Many were introduced to Christian teaching for the first time.
He thanked churches across Europe for their support over the past few years. “The body of Christ is not confined to one country or to one border, but is alive and active whenever his people are present,” he said.
He described how Ukrainian churches had been involved in a wide range of activities since the beginning of the invasion. He said pastors and church volunteers were serving as chaplains in war zones, praying with soldiers and offering encouragement in hospitals and shelters. They also provided support to families who had lost loved ones, as well as to children left without parents. “We are there for the widows of fallen soldiers and for the orphans whose mothers are never coming home,” he said.
According to Karcha, ministry in these contexts began with listening. “We listen. We pray. We help. And then when we see how we can help and what can be done, we speak Jesus,” he said.
Karcha explained that the experience of war had shifted the church’s understanding of hope. He said people were looking for something greater and essential, and the church responded by moving forward together in small steps. He believed this collective movement had become something that could not be stopped by war.
He closed his remarks by reflecting on how God was still present and active. “This is a little bit of what God is doing in our country. He’s awakening his church, stirring a desperate search for hope, and teaching us to listen and watch him work,” he said. He added that what looked like suffering was becoming testimony, and that fear was being replaced with faith through everyday acts of service.
“In the world’s eyes, Ukraine is a story of war. But in God’s eyes, it is a story of revival,” he said. “Let history bow down to the cross,” he concluded.
