Throughout the years, TCI has prepared numerous church leaders, including pastors, evangelists, missionaries, chaplains, church counselors, and educators. TCI supports these ministers with practical tools, technical assistance, infrastructure, sustainability businesses, and aid in establishing churches and various projects. As a result, TCI’s alumni now serve in more than a dozen countries, spreading the Good News worldwide. In the realm of Christian education development and leadership cultivation in Ukraine, TCI has often taken pioneering steps. Notably, TCI obtained a state license, making it the first Evangelical school in the country licensed to educate church leaders in Theology. TCI is also advancing in online education and textbook translation, aiming to offer the entire BA program in Theology online for the first time in Ukraine’s history, supported by 24 textbooks in Ukrainian. Leveraging its extensive experience, TCI has coordinated several educational and humanitarian initiatives in Ukraine and Central Asia.
March 10, 2022:
The TCI campus in Kherson was taken over by the Russian Army, leading to extensive looting and the removal of all valuable items. The buildings were repurposed as a military base, barracks, and hospital.
August 28-29, 2022:
During the night, three of the five buildings on the TCI campus were completely destroyed, including the office, the library (which also housed a chapel), and a dormitory.
November 11, 2022:
After the Ukrainian army liberated Kherson, the campus was returned to TCI. However, ongoing shelling continued to cause destruction, and the remaining two buildings were eventually destroyed.
Our library, containing thousands of valuable books, was deliberately destroyed by invaders who saw them as Western propaganda, resulting in a loss of nearly 30,000 books. Despite this, we remain hopeful. Thanks to Lincoln Christian University’s donation of 25,000 books and the support of organizations like Scholar Leaders, Theological Book Network and a local church, we have begun restoring our collection.
The library is the heart of TCI’s educational process, providing essential resources for teaching and research in theology, church history, missionary work, and other disciplines. Restoring the library is crucial for TCI’s full operation and for training future Christian leaders.
We plan not only to restore but also to expand our library with new books, modern electronic resources, and access to scientific databases, creating a modern educational space that meets high standards for theological education.
The campus property, consisting of five buildings, played a crucial role in obtaining TCI’s license, as the government mandates the school to have a minimum of 2,000 square meters of study facilities to meet the licensure standards. It also served as a Christian camp and community center for the believers of the Kherson and Mykolaiv and many other regions of Ukraine. The destruction of the TCI campus was a major loss for the Institute and for the Christian community in Ukraine. The Institute has been forced to relocate temporarily to Ivano-Frankivsk, but it is still providing its programs and services to the best of its ability. The new campus would be a symbol of hope and resilience for the Ukrainian people.
Thus, the TCI is now seeking to purchase a new campus near Kyiv. The new campus would be used to train future generations of Christian leaders and to serve the Christian community in Ukraine with state licensed and accredited theological programs. We consulted with real estate agents and builders, and the following is the estimated cost of the new campus:
Location: Kyiv or Near Kyiv
Purpose: Train future Christian leaders and serve the community with state-licensed and accredited theological programs.
Estimated Costs:
1 Building: 22,600 square feet – $2,2M – $2,5M
2 building: 21,500 square feet – $1,5M – $1,8M
Total: $4,000,000
TCI and its partners are seeking help to find a new home for its students and staff, who lost their campus as a result of the Russia-Ukraine war.
For over 25 years, TCI has been dedicated to training and equipping indigenous Christian leaders in Ukraine and other countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
TCI provides high-quality formal and informal training for local bi-vocational pastors and young church leaders, recognizing the vital role these trainings play in developing holistic ministry in these regions.
TCI supports these ministers with practical tools, technical assistance, infrastructure, sustainability businesses, and aid in establishing churches and various projects. As a result, TCI’s alumni now serve in more than a dozen countries, spreading the Good News worldwide.
In the realm of Christian education development and leadership cultivation in Ukraine, TCI has often taken pioneering steps. Notably, TCI obtained a state license, making it the first Evangelical school in the country licensed to educate church leaders in theology, and it is currently in the process of obtaining state accreditation.
TCI distinguishes itself by fostering open interaction with churches, schools, and organizations from various denominations. Moreover, TCI collaborates with Overseas Council-United World Mission, Scholar Leaders, Tyndale House, Overseas Outreach, Frontier, Pioneer Bible Translators, Training Christian Ministers International Institute (TCMI), Johnson University, International Conference on Missions (ICOM), and other organizations.
Leveraging its extensive experience, TCI has coordinated several educational and humanitarian initiatives in Ukraine and Central Asia.
In the context of the ongoing war crisis, the need to nurture Christian leaders in Ukraine has become even more pressing. Millions have become refugees, and dozens of thousands of Christians were displaced, leaving a significant void in church leadership. On the other hand, many people have sought refuge in church communities, resulting in numerous conversions to Christ. With over 500 new ministers urgently needed in TCI’s church family, lay Christians have stepped up to fill leadership roles within churches.
These individuals require specialized training in Christian leadership, preaching, and conflict transformation to meet this demand. Additionally, soldiers need chaplains, and the wounded need Christian counselors.
TCI is committed to addressing this need and aims to raise as many new church leaders for Ukraine as possible.
TCI’s training programs have a direct impact on local churches, as its primary goal is to catalyze transformation in evangelism, church planting, and church leadership among the unreached people of Ukraine.
On March 10, 2022, the TCI campus in Kherson was taken over by the Russian Army, resulting in extensive looting and the removal of all valuable items. The buildings on the campus were repurposed as a military base, barracks, and hospital.
During the war actions TCI’s five buildings were completely destroyed. These included the newest buildings, such as the office, library (which also housed a chapel), and one of the dormitories. After the Ukrainian army liberated Kherson, the campus was returned to TCI on November 11, 2022. However, the campus continues to face constant destruction due to ongoing shelling, as the front line is located dangerously close.
The destruction of the TCI campus was a major loss for the Institute and the Christian community in Ukraine because, located at the Dnipro River, it was used to train pastors, church ministers, missionaries, and church planters from Ukraine, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia. The campus property, consisting of five buildings, was also crucial in obtaining TCI’s license. It also served as a Christian camp and community center for the believers of the Kherson, Mykolaiv, and other regions of Ukraine.
The Institute has been forced to relocate temporarily to Ivano-Frankivsk, but it is still providing its programs and services to the best of its ability. The destruction of the TCI campus is also a reminder of the suffering that is being caused by the Russia-Ukraine war. However, the TCI is determined to continue its work and to help rebuild Ukraine.
