On October 22, 2026, the IV All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference "Peculiarities of Pastoral ministry in the modern World" was held at the Nikolo-Ugresh Theological Seminary. The forum was held in a face-to-face and remote format and brought together clergy, theologians, teachers and students of theological schools. The participants reviewed the historical experience of clergy, issues of social service, and the specifics of a priest's interaction with various groups of parishioners.
Hieromonk Luke (Pronskikh), Acting Rector of the seminary, delivered a welcoming speech. The plenary session was headed by the Acting Vice-rector for Scientific Work, Priest Vladimir Alyoshkov.
In the plenary session, Priest Valery Dukhanin presented a report on the pastoral ministry of the confessor of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, Archimandrite Ilia (Reizmir). Archpriest Mikhail Potokin, Chairman of the Synodal Department for Church Charity and Social Service, spoke about the importance of the mission of mercy in modern pastoral practice.
Priest Alexy Cherny, Acting Head of the Department of Practical Theology at St. Tikhon's Orthodox University for the Humanities, examined the origins of the problem of finding a spiritual father. Associate Professor of Tver State University, Priest Vitaly Simora, turned to the experience of the pre-revolutionary church school. A speech by N. V. Polyakova, senior lecturer at the Orenburg Theological Seminary, was devoted to the psychological aspects of interaction with the flock.
Further work took place in three sections. The participants of the first one discussed pastoral care for the older generation using the example of the Moscow Longevity program, the role of a priest in building a church community, and issues related to the preservation of memorial churches. Special attention was paid to working with youth and families in the context of digital change. Priest Vladimir Alyoshkov presented the study "Prayers of a priest before Divine Service" from the handwritten legacy of Solovetsky Hieromonk Flavian (Abrosimov).
The second section examined the possibilities of using digital technologies in pastoral ministry and the preaching legacy of the clergy of the 20th century. The speakers also touched upon the issues of training future pastors: Priest Konstantin Bely spoke about the potential of summer practice for students of theological schools in children's camps. The presentation by Priest Mikhail Shepelsky was devoted to the prevention of family crises and the threat of divorce in the families of clergymen.
The third section brought together reports on preaching as a means of conveying Church Tradition, Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Christological model of ministry, and the modern experience of spirituality. The participants also reviewed the history and current situation of the military clergy in Russia, including the specifics of pastoral work in the area of a special military operation.
The presentations were accompanied by discussions on the application of historical and modern experience in parish life, spiritual guidance and training of clergy.
Following the results of the conference, it is planned to prepare articles for the scientific and theological journal of the seminary "Ugresh Collection", registered in the Russian Science Citation Index system. The electronic version of the publication will be posted on the seminary's website.