President of the “Churches of Faith” Association, International Preacher
Matts-Ola is a regular speaker addressing thousands of believers at regional evangelical
conferences in Russia and abroad. He is also a Christian author.
Biography
Matts-Ola was born in the small town of Hudiksvall, Sweden. At the age of 10, his family moved
to Norway. He earned two higher education degrees, studying pedagogycs, child psychology,
social work, and theology over five years. He served in the Norwegian army and worked in
municipal departments focused on youth at risk.
After completing Bible study courses in Sweden, Matts-Ola became a youth pastor in Oppdal,
Norway, where he ministered for eight years. In 1996, he moved to Russia to serve as an
assistant pastor at the “Word of Life” church in Moscow and later became the senior pastor.
Family
Matts-Ola and his wife, Randi, have a strong and happy marriage. Together, they share
wonderful relationships with their four adopted children.
Hobbies
Matts-Ola is an avid biker and draws inspiration from nature, mountain hiking, fishing, hunting,
and skiing.
Oleg Popov is a pastor, preacher, and Bible teacher, ministering across
Russia.
Biography
Oleg Borisovich was born in Siberia, in the capital of Khakassia, the city of
Abakan. He graduated from high school and pursued a degree in history and
law at Abakan State University. During his university years, he turned to God
and immediately began serving in the church as a children’s minister and
editor of the Christian newspaper "Word of Faith."
In 1991, he married Yulia, and together they attended the Word of Life Bible
School in Upsala, Sweden. Upon their return, they founded one of the first
Bible schools in Russia, which hosted 500 attendees in its inaugural year. Oleg
Borisovich served as the dean of the Bible school and pastor of the “Praise”
church in Abakan for ten years. He also served as the senior pastor of the
“New Life” church in Chelyabinsk for nine years.
Family
Pastor Oleg is a devoted husband, father of five children, and grandfather to
two grandsons and two granddaughters.
Bible Teacher, Preacher, Missionary
Biography
Alexander was born in Melitopol, Ukraine. In 1991, he graduated from Melitopol
Medical College. Between 2009 and 2013, he pursued and completed higher
theological education.
For 26 years, he has served as a full-time minister. Alexander has extensive
experience in church ministry, including roles as a worship team member,
youth pastor, missionary, Bible seminar teacher, and regional pastor. He has
also served as senior pastor of "Word of Life" Samara (2009–2013) and "Word
of Life" Baku, Azerbaijan (2016–2020). Currently, he is the Executive Director of
the "Word of Life" organization in Moscow.
Family
Pastor Alexander and his wife Zhanna have been married for 27 years and
have three children.
Hobbies
Pastor Alexander’s favorite pastime is enjoying the sauna.
Biography
Sergey was born in Karaganda, Kazakhstan. He began his ministry in 1993.
Over the years in the “Word of Life” church, he has served in various roles:
leader of the order team, evangelism ministry, worship team, pastoral
administration, worship organization department, and head of the
development and partnership department. He also led the media ministry,
served as a youth pastor, pastor of the Malaysian ministry, and for several
years, as the executive director. He studied theology, marketing, and human
resources management.
Currently, Sergey serves as the Deputy Senior Pastor for Interchurch
Relations. He is also the head of the Financial Biblical Business Community
and the Deputy President of the "Churches of Faith" Association for Spiritual
Affairs. He is actively engaged in the strategic development of churches in
Russia and the CIS countries.
Family
Pastor Sergey and his wife, Valentina, have three children.
Hobbies
Snowboarding in winter, riding a motorcycle in summer, and family at all
times.
For 25 years, Alexey has served as the youth pastor and has actively
participated in various church projects.
Biography
Born in 1979. At the age of 16, Alexey had a life-changing encounter with God
and began serving in church, where he met his future wife, Ekaterina. After
marriage, they had a son and served in Chelyabinsk for five years. Later, they
moved to Moscow to serve at Word of Life Church.
He began by assisting in the youth ministry and, after a few months, became a
full-time staff member at the church. For seven years, Alexey worked
alongside Sergey Martynichev, who was the youth pastor at the time. Over the
years of serving at Word of Life Church, Alexey led various church
departments and is currently the executive pastor.
Family
Pastor Alexey and his wife Ekaterina have three children.
Hobbies
Running and marathons.
For 10 years, together with his wife Maria, Boris has conducted family courses
at Word of Life Church and manages the "Helping Hand" Foundation.
Biography
Born in Krasnoyarsk. At the age of 11, he was involved in a car accident in
which his father passed away, a tragedy that deeply impacted Boris' life. At 24,
he had a life-changing encounter with God and began serving people suffering
from addiction.
In 2007, Boris moved to Moscow to attend Bible School, where he met his
future wife Maria. He then went on a mission to Rostov-on-Don, where he lived
for 5 years.
In 2014, Boris returned to Moscow and completed his bachelor's degree in
pastoral ministry at the Euro-Asian Theological Seminary. He later became one
of the pastors at Word of Life Church in Moscow.
Boris became the director of the "Helping Hand" charity foundation in 2022.
The foundation runs social work in various areas: volunteers feed thousands
of low-income individuals, help children with disabilities, visit hospices and
orphanages, and organize large annual projects.
Family
Boris and his wife Maria have 7 children, two of whom they adopted from an
orphanage.
Hobbies
Traveling by car with his family, going to the sauna.
Youth Pastor and Teen Leader, Leader of the "Year for God" Project
Biography
Born in 1989 in Yerevan, Armenia, Armen graduated from secondary school. At
the age of 15, he visited his sister in Moscow, attended a Christian youth
camp, and encountered God. After this experience, he began attending the
Word of Life Church in Moscow. Since then, Armen has served in the church’s
youth department and has assisted in various ministries of the local church.
He completed Bible School and Pastoral School and also studied at the
Theological University in Moscow, learning from teachers and doctors of
theology from the Swedish Theological University in Upsala.
For 19 years, Armen has been actively involved in the life of the church. He
has worked as a youth and teen pastor for over 6 years.
Hobbies
Armen has been involved in various sports from a young age, including chess,
Greco-Roman wrestling, football, and table tennis. However, his favorite sport
is tennis.
Family
Armen is married to Maria, and they have a son, Patrick.
Biography
Mikhail was born in the city of Shchyolkovo, Moscow region, in a family of
military personnel. He accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord in 2004. After
graduating from missionary school in 2006, he, along with his team, opened a
local church in the suburban town of Orekhovo-Zuyevo, where he served as
pastor for 17 years.
During these years of ministry, Mikhail and his team opened 9 more branches
of the "Word of Life" church, which are now successfully growing and
developing. He actively worked on the development of social ministries,
helping people struggling with alcohol and drug addiction. Several of these
projects are still functioning today, including the "Mother and Child House,"
which provides support for women who have experienced domestic violence.
Mikhail completed Biblical seminars and the Leadership School of the "Word
of Life" church, as well as a Bachelor's degree in Pastoral Ministry at the
Eurasian Theological Seminary. Since 2023, he has served as the coordinating
pastor for the branches in Moscow and the Moscow region.
Family
Mikhail married Tatiana in 2008, and they have a wonderful son. Throughout
their married life, they have served the Lord together as a family.
Hobbies
Mikhail enjoys traveling by car with his family and practicing weightlifting
Biography
Born in 1982 in the city of Miass, Chelyabinsk region. He studied at the
University’s Law Faculty but did not complete his studies, as he enlisted in the
army.
In 2011, Kirill went through a rehabilitation program and accepted salvation. A
few years later, in 2014, he graduated from the Bible School of Word of Life
Church in Moscow and became a participant in the "Year for God" project.
After that, he completed his studies at the Euro-Asian Seminary with a
specialization in Church Ministry. Currently, he serves as a pastor and the
leader of the Home Group Ministry at Word of Life Church in Moscow.
Family
Pastor Kirill married Tatiana in 2012, and in 2018, they adopted a child.
Hobbies
Books, sports, running.
In addition to serving the senior generation, Alexey is responsible for the
church's national ministries.
Biography
Alexey is from Turkmenistan, the city of Turkmenabad (formerly Charjou). In
1996, his entire family moved to Belarus, where Alexey earned two higher
education degrees — one in technical studies and the other in economics.
In 2003, Alexey moved to Moscow and, after completing two years of Bible
study courses, he and his wife Valentina went on a mission to Rostov-on-Don
for one year, then to Smolensk for eight years. After returning to Moscow,
Alexey began serving in home groups at the "Word of Life" church, eventually
taking on the role of pastor.
Family
Together with his wonderful wife Valentina, Pastor Alexey raises four children:
Valentina, Vera, Elisei, and Veniamin.
Hobbies
Alexey enjoys spending time with his loved ones, cooking for his family,
engaging in sports, and taking walks with his beloved wife Valentina. The best
time for him is a family vacation.
Head of the ROSKhVE Apparatus, Executive Secretary of the ROSKhVE
Spiritual Council.
Biography
Dmitry was born in Rubtsovsk, Altai Krai, Siberia. His family later moved to the Saratov region,
where he finished high school.
After completing his first year at the Bible School of the "Praise Church" in Abakan, Dmitry got
married. Immediately after the wedding, he and his wife Anastasia returned to Abakan for
further studies—Dmitry enrolled in the second year, while Anastasia began her first year.
Since 1996, Dmitry has served at the Saratov "Word of Life" Church. Alongside preaching, he
has been involved in nearly all areas of pastoral ministry, including working with teenagers,
youth, worship, home groups, social work, and church-wide services.
Dmitry holds two higher education degrees and has earned a professional doctorate in
state-confessional relations.
In 2016, he moved to Moscow to develop the external relations of the "Word of Life" Church.
Currently, he manages interactions with government authorities, the public, media, and
religious organizations of various denominations. Dmitry conducts seminars in churches
across Russia, speaks at religious-themed round tables and forums, and regularly publishes
on secular online platforms. He is deeply committed to self-improvement.
Family
Pastor Dmitry and his wife Anastasia have three children.
Hobbies
Dmitry is passionate about sports: he regularly participates in various cross-country skiing
competitions, and enjoys playing volleyball, table tennis, and chess. He also loves cooking
and the sauna. Traveling by car is also one of his favorite pastime activities.
Biography
Larisa was born in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. At the age of 17, she moved to Russia, received medical education, higher education in management/marketing, and graduated from Bible Seminars and the Word of Life Church Leadership School
From 2002 to 2017, she served on the pastor's team, led a house group, and was also a district leader. Since 2022, he has been the head of the prayer ministry. Together with the general prayer team, she launched the "Gifts of the Holy Spirit" course in the church
Family
She has been married since 1997, and she and her husband have four children.
Hobby
Larisa loves to travel. When traveling, she enjoys nature, the mountains and the sea most of all, as well as the friendly company of family or friends.
Biography
Born in Novocheboksarsk, Chuvash Republic. Evgeny practiced martial arts for 13 years, and since he loved motorcycles, he went to study at a technical school to become a motorist.
In 2010, Evgeny moved to Moscow and went to study automotive engineering. And when he came to believe and joined the local church, he entered the seminary. He completed his studies with a master's degree in church ministry. And later he also received a doctorate in practical theology.
Family
He is married to Lilia, who is the administrator of the pastoral department of the Word of Life Church.
Hobby
Running, motorcycles.
