Pastors team

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Senior pastor

MATTS-OLA ISHOEL

Senior Pastor

The President of the Association «Churches of Faith», international preacher. He regularly addresses thousands of believers from platforms of evangelical conferences in Russia and abroad, a christian writer.
Matts-Ola was born in a small Swedish town Hudiksval. When he was 10, his family moved to Norway. There he received two high educations, studied pedagogics, children’s psychology, social work, and theology during 5 years. He served in the Norwegian Army, worked in the municipal government in a department on the issues of problem youth.
As he finished the Bible course in Sweden, he became a youth pastor in Oppdal, where he served for 8 years. In 1996 he moved to Russia in order to be an associate pastor at Word of Life church in Moscow, where later he became senior pastor.
Matts-Ola and his wife Randi have a strong marriage and wonderful relationships with their four adopted children.
Matts-Ola is a biker, he is inspired by the nature, hiking in the mountains, fishing and skiing.
Motto for life: «Two are better than one» (Ekklesiastes 4:9).

Oleg Popov

Second pastor
@pastoroleg

The pastor and the preacher, the teacher of the Bible who travels around Russia. He is the husband of the wife, the father of five children and the grandfather of the grandson.
Oleg Borisovitch was born in Siberia, in the city Abakan, the capital of Khakassia. He graduated from school and entered the Abakan State University to become the History and Law teacher. While studying at the University he devoted his life to God. He started to serve in the church in the children’s ministry and as the editor the Christian newspaper «The word of faith» right away.
In 1991 he married Julia, together they went to the Bible School in the Word of Life Church in Uppsala, Sweden. When they returned to Abakan, they have founded one of the first Bible Schools in Russia. In the first year 500 students attended it. Oleg Borisovitch has been the dean of the Bible School and the pastor of the Worship Church in Abakan for 10 years. He has been the senior pastor of the New Life Church in Chelyabinsk for nine years.

His life slogan is 'If you want to change the world start with yourself'.

Aleksey Romanov

The youth pastor
The chief of the pastors’ department
@pastor.romanov

He is the pastor for thousands of young people in Moscow. Aleksey has been serving to young people for twenty years at the same time being the chief of the pastors’ department and the dean of the Bible School for the last couple years. He has the degree in theology.
Aleksey is the author of book and many materials for church. He is the father of three children, the husband of the wife, the sportsman and the Christina blogger. He was born in Chelyabinski region, in Kopeysk city.

His life slogan is "But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus — the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God".

Acts 20:24

Alexander Neretin

pastor
@alexneretin

Alexander was born in Melitopol, Ukraine. He and his wife Jeanne have been married for 22 years, they have three children.

In 1991 he graduated the Melitopol medical college. In 2009-2013 he got the degree in theology.
He has been the full-time church worker for 26 years. He has enormous experience in church work: he has been in the worshiping team, the youth pastor, the missionary, the teacher in the Bible School, the regional pastor, he was the senior pastor of the Word of Life Church in Samara (2009-2013) and The Word of Life Church in Baku, Azerbaijan (2016-2020). For the present moment he is responsible for the work of the campuses of Word of Life Church in Moscow.

His hobby is banya (sauna).
His life slogan is ‘Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.’ Winston Churchill.

Sergey Martyunichev

The assistant pastor
@pssergey

Sergey was born in Karaganda, Kazakhstan. He is married to Valentina, they have three children.

He started to serve in 1993. In these years he has been the leader of the evangelists, worshiping team, pastors’ administration, the department of the service organization process as well as the youth pastor, Malaysian ministry pastor and the executive director. He has been studying theology, marketing, the staff management.
He is currently the director of the development and partnership department, director of the publishing house ‘The golden pages’, the head of the financial biblical business-community, the Deputy President of the Association 'churches of faith' for spiritual issues, he works on the strategic development of churches in Russia and the CIS countries.

His hobbies: in winter — snowboarding, in summer — motorbike, always — his family.
His life slogan is ‘Everything should be done well the first time.’

Dmitry Taranov

The senior pastor’s deputy of external relations
@dataranov

The member of the Board of the Association «Churches of faith», Executive Secretary of the spiritual Council of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Dmitri was born in Siberia, in Altai region in the Rubtsovsk city. With his family he moved to Saratov region and graduated school there.
After finishing the first course of the Bible school in the Worship Church in Abakan he got married. After the wedding he and his wife went to the Bible school in Abakan where Dmitri started the second year of his studies and his wife the first one. Dmitri and his wife Anastasia have three children.
Since 1996 he has started to serve in the Word of Life Church in Saratov. Besides being a preacher, he was involved in almost every ministry — teens, youth, worshiping, home groups, social work, church services.
In 2016 he moved to Moscow to develop the external relations of the Word of Life Church. For the present moment he interacts with state authorities, society, the media, and religious associations of various faiths. He conducts seminars in Russian churches. He makes presentations at round tables and forums on religious topics.
He is constantly working on his self-development. His works are published on secular websites.

Dmitri is keen on sports: mountain and cross-country skiing, volleyball, tennis and table tennis. He loves cooking. He adores sauna. He enjoys traveling by car.
His life slogan is «Be where you are needed — that is the shortest way to the place where you have always wanted to be».

Alexey Kudakov

The regional pastor
@pastor.alexeykudakov

Alexey is originally from Turkmenistan, Turkmenabat city (Charzhou).
He and his wife Valentina have four children: Valentina, Vera, Elisey, Veniamin.

Alexey got secular degree in radio engineering of aircraft and economic-Management of foreign economic activity. Now he is studying at a theological Seminary.
In 2006 after completing the Bible course in Moscow, a newly married couple Alexey and Valentina went to Rostov-on-Don for a missionary trip. A year after they moved to Smolensk and started a church there. In 2016 the family moved back to Moscow and Alexey started to serve in a home group.
Today, he is the regional pastor, he works with home groups, and praying services.

Alexey loves cooking and doing sport.
His life slogan is ‘But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord!’ Joshua 24:15 (NLT)

Kirill Semiletov

The regional pastor
@kirillsemiletov

Kirill was born in Chelyabinsk region, in Miass city. He and his wife Tatyana moved to Moscow to become the part of the Year for God project and the Bible School as well.
In the Word of Life Church, he works in pastors’ department, with home groups and seminars the first step with God.

In 2018 long-expected son Leonid was born in the family. The pastor does jogging and reads in his free time.
His life slogan is ‘God is good!’

Boris Gotovtsev

The regional pastor, the pastor of the charity ministry
@ps.boris.gotovtsev

Pastor Boris was born in Krasnoyarsk. In 2009 after finishing the Bible School he went to the missionary work with his family to Rostov-on-Don. Five years after that he moved to Moscow and became one of the pastors of the Word of Life Church. He was the head of the charity fund the Helping Hand, he was the pastor of the social ministry, got the degree in theology. Nowadays he is the regional pastor and the pastor of the charity ministry.

Boris and his wife Maria have six children, two of them are adopted. The pastor spends his free time with his big family. They love traveling by car.

His life slogan is ‘I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.’ Philippians 3:7

Armen Asatryan

The second youth pastor, the leader of the teen ministry
@armenij

Armen was born in Armenia, in Erevan.
He is married to Maria and their son Patrick was born recently.

For a long time Armen was involved in the youth ministry, in home groups ministry, he was the youth pastor assistant. Now he is working with teen ministry and is the second youth pastor in the church.

He is keen on tennis, he has played KVN professionally for 6 years.
His life slogan is ‘Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.’ Matthew 7:7-8