“The words written with the power of the Holy Spirit will bring results,” says pastor and missionary Taras Sen about the printed newspaper. 

In the age of high information technologies, when it seems that print media should be extinct, it turns out that the classic paper newspaper not only circulates, but delivers results. 

In this interview with Taras Sen, founder of the All-Ukrainian printed newspaper “Christ is the Answer”, we talk about the work of print media for evangelism, which has been operating since 2007, how to start a newspaper, and stories of salvation through God’s paper mouthpiece.      

1. Could you share your thoughts on how relevant print newspapers/magazines remain today with so many online platforms?

Of course, some people have moved to the Internet to get their information. But many people still read printed newspapers. If they are printed, that means there are people who buy them. 

Also, print media is subconsciously perceived as a classic. People believe that if it’s in a newspaper or magazine, it’s solid; whereas on the Internet, anyone can write and not be responsible for the information. In a way, the Internet is like a cesspool: anyone can post whatever they want. 

But as for what goes into a printed newspaper, the editorial staff is still responsible.

Maybe in 10-15 years newspapers will almost disappear, but today they are relevant. 

We see many examples of people turning to God through the printed media of our CITA Ministry. 

When missionaries distribute newspapers in their cities, they are in direct contact with the people. The newspaper serves as an opportunity to share Christ with people. 

In other countries, newspapers are more relevant than in Ukraine. For example, in Ethiopia, where 125 million people live, only 20% of them use the Internet. Many of them live in villages without electricity. 

In Ethiopia, even before elections, pro-government candidates do not distribute newspapers. So what the Ministry is doing there by distributing newspapers is a great work of spreading the Gospel.    

If you take Latin America, for example, there are a lot of poor people, not everyone has a cell phone, and there is poor coverage in the mountains, so by distributing a printed evangelistic newspaper, you can reach people with the Good News.

2. Taras Volodymyrovych, you have been publishing the all-Ukrainian newspaper Christ is the Answer since 2007. Tell us about the history of the newspaper and its presence today.

In the early 2000s, God put in my heart the desire to spread accurate information about the church in the Luhansk region, where I once served as a missionary. 

At that time, people treated the church as a sect: they did not want to hear about the church, they neglected it, and some openly spread distorted information. 

I wanted to start a newspaper to tell people what was really happening, to publish people’s testimonies about who we are and what we believe, and to communicate with non-believers. 

But I had no money, no team, no experience, no strength. I had nothing but a desire.

I prayed about it and wrote some notes. By the way, I felt a spiritual pressure on myself when I sat down to write an article, it was like depression. 

About the first issue. It was a miracle. My parents gave me a thousand dollars for my personal needs. I had never had so much money before. At that time I was living very, very poorly, I didn’t have enough money for food, I already had a family and two children. 

And here I had this amount of money in my hands! I immediately thought, “Who’s stopping me from taking a certain amount of this money for the newspaper? 

Of course, I had a lot of needs and I wanted to go on vacation with my family, to buy something, to buy food and normal clothes. But I decided to donate 700 out of a thousand to the newspaper. I finished the articles and asked the secular media for help with layout and editing. That’s how I printed 20,000 copies on 6 pages for the first time.

I am far from bragging that I donated my funds, but I have to tell about it so that people realize that there is a price for everything. 

I could have found excuses not to print the paper, but with God’s help it became a reality. 

To be successful in any endeavor, we need to make sacrifices on our part. God saw my sacrifice and rewarded me not only in this particular case, but also in many others. 

At first the newspaper had the status of a regional newspaper, but later I registered it as an all-Ukrainian newspaper. My friends helped me prepare the first two issues, and then I wrote articles and conducted interviews myself.

We began to distribute the newspaper in the Lugansk region, and then its copies spread to other regions through the pastors of local churches. Now there are 100 thousand copies in circulation.   

3. Who is the target group of this newspaper?

The publication is aimed at people who can or want to hear the Word of God. Of course, there cannot be a universal publication, so we target an adult audience. 

4. What topics do you cover in the paper?

We try to have a certain theme in each issue. For example, evangelism: Christ, faith, repentance. 

In each issue, we publish testimonies of deliverance from addiction and of God’s protection and guiding hand. The paper also includes quotes from scientists and scientific facts. Scientists represent authority to people. Also, many scientists have been Christians, and they have something to say about God. We know that science is “catching up” with the Bible. 

We publish interesting Christian news from Ukraine or internationally. For example, the Jesus March in one country, which gathered 2 million people. With such events we want to show the positive impact of Christianity on the world.   

Other articles that carry Christian values and are food for thought.   

5. Can you tell me an interesting story about this newspaper? 

My assistant, who stayed in the Luhansk region after I left, once had a meeting with local pastors, and one of them told a story related to our newspaper.

During his time in prison, when he did not yet know God, he found a part of the newspaper in the toilet. He read a testimony about the release of a drug addict who had also been in prison, saw how similar their stories were, felt God’s touch, knelt down and sincerely turned to God. He was later supernaturally healed of tuberculosis. And when he got out of prison, he started a church and became a recovery center minister.   

Another story. Through newspaper contacts, a person called me for counseling, also during the time of ministry in the Luhansk region. He complained of addiction and many problems in his life. I counseled him, but after a few days he called again and said that he wanted to hang himself and that he had chosen a tree to do it. 

I realized he wasn’t kidding and tried to talk him out of it. I prayed. I wanted to help him somehow, but he lived far away from me. So I contacted the ministers of another church, who arrived just as the poor man had the rope ready. He was taken to a House of Prayer and soon after to a recovery center. 

By chance, we met this man in the same train car. Looking at him, I realized that I might not have had the chance to see him, but instead he was on his way to rehab. That man recovered and received water baptism. 

These are the kind of miracles that happen through printed newspapers!  

6. How to start a printed newspaper?

If you already have the desire, it is worth consulting specialists on how to do it, and then register the newspaper. 

I believe that this business should be legal, especially since the legislation in Ukraine allows you to do it without hindrance. 

Next, find responsible people who would work on articles, a printing house for publishing. 

If there is no designer and literary editor, do not panic, you can use the services of a secular publisher. It doesn’t cost much. I did this for a long time until the right people appeared in the team. 

In addition, it is also a method of evangelization, because the secular editor who will review your paper will read material that may influence him or her. 

Before printing a newspaper, it is best to observe secular newspapers: circulation, where they are distributed, where they are printed, what the topics are. And take something useful for your newspaper. 

7. Give advice to those who want to start a printed newspaper.

I would not recommend putting provocative materials in the newspaper, and you should not write from the position of ‘we are better than others’. It is better to inform, to suggest. It is important to check the facts that you are going to put in the newspaper. 

It is also important to coordinate the publication with the ministers of your church. If you are able to interest the pastor, the matter will go more easily. By the way, it is possible and necessary to honor the pastor, for example, by placing birthday greetings in the newspaper. 

If the newspaper is local, it is good to cover the work of your church. If it is distributed in several regions, such news will not be interesting and should not be published. 

On the one hand, it is good to have the contact information of the ministers and the address of the church in the newspaper. But this is only for one church. However, what can be done if the newspaper is distributed in several regions where there are many churches? Then a small space can be left for the contacts of the church, which will write them for the local people.

It is worthwhile to leave phone numbers of people who can give spiritual advice. We practice this and many people make phone calls. 

It is very good to form a team to publish a newspaper. You can do it alone, but it takes a lot of time because you have to prepare it, you have to distribute it, and you have to consult with someone.

From time to time, it is worthwhile to give the publication to others for analysis. For example, to church ministers, evangelists, who understand better than secular people. 

The opinion of journalists can also be important, ask them to analyze your newspaper and give an assessment and advice, because very often even Christian journalists understand secular people better than, for example, pastors who may not go beyond the vision of their church. 

In addition to professional development in this area, such as attending conferences, any other professional development, consulting with experts, I would also advise you to pray, to seek God with all your heart so that He gives you ideas, inspiration, and words from the Holy Spirit. Because words written in the power of the Holy Spirit will bring results – the rebirth of people.

Press Center of “Christ is the Answer” Ministries (the interview was conducted by Hanna Zeleniova).