In 1999, Victor Ryaguzov (pastor of Transfiguration Church, Samara, Russia and one of the vice-presidents of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists), approached Grace Community Church (Sun Valley, CA; pastor John MacArthur) to ask for help in developing a ministry training center in the city of Samara, Russia. As Pastor Ryaguzov looked at the landscape of the church in Russia, he saw an acute need of the Russian church to train pastors, church leaders, and church planters to be expository preachers.

This desire was realized in October 2000, when Samara Preachers' Institute (SPI) held its first training session. Since that time, SPI has graduated four classes totaling over 250 students (including the Krasnodar extension from 2006-2008). The interest and impact of SPI have continued to grow, as there are 50 students in the current program. The program at SPI is a two-year, modular-based teaching format focused on expository preaching. This modular approach is ideal for pastors who live far away from Samara and would not be able to uproot their families and leave their ministries in order to come full-time.

Recognizing the need not only to train preachers but also to equip future trainers of preachers, Samara Theological Seminary (STS), (together with SPI "Samara Preachers' Assistance Program") came into existence in September of 2002. STS is a full-time, three-year, semester-based training program similar in curriculum to The Master's Seminary. The purpose of the MDiv program at STS is not only to further equip students in the area of expository preaching, but also to equip them more deeply in the fields of exegesis, theology, and pastoral ministry, with the goal of seeing these men taken on training ministries in the future. The first class of 17 MDiv students graduated in May of 2005 and the most recent class of 13 students graduated in June of 2008. Of these 30 graduates, many of them are currently serving in full-time ministry – either as pastors, full-time instructors at STS, or in other capacities. The seminary currently has two simultaneous classes studying – a first-year class consisting of 10 new students, and a second-year class consisting of 12 students.

As the Preachers’ Institute and Seminary developed, Samara Bible Institute also came into being. Samara Bible Institute is a part-time, weekend Bible institute designed to equip members of local churches for ministry, taught exclusively by STS students. Other ministries that have also grown alongside include annual youth leadership and preachers' conferences, book ministries, a DVD ministry, and church planting efforts.

Samara Preachers’ Assistance Program is a member school of The Master's Academy International. The Master's Academy, consisting of a consortium of pastoral training centers located on six continents, is committed to enabling the institutional capacity and educational effectiveness of its member schools and to strengthening the ministry relationships between the member schools and individuals, churches, organizations, and foundations.