In 1970 the FEDERATION EVANGELIQUE de FRANCE began tracking the evolution of the French Evangelical Protestant Churches. At that time there were only 769 registered Evangelical Protestant churches in the nation of France. That’s only 0.1% Evangelical Protestant Churches per 10,000 inhabitants nationwide, The majority of the departments (equivalent to state regions) had little if any Evangelical Protestant Churches or Christian witness. Since that era, there have been around 32 churches planted to begin new works and to replace others that have died off.
Churches of Lyon
As recently as 2006, the City of Lyon still fell into the category of 0.1% to 0.2% Evangelical Protestant Churches per every 10,000 inhabitants. There are presently nearly 500,000 inhabitants within the city limits and over 1 million within the surrounding communities and suburbs. Locally, there are 45 local churches and Christian associations.
Calvary Chapel Lyon
There are currently three Calvary Chapels in France located in Nice, Paris and Lyon. Calvary Chapel Lyon is the newest, having been "planted" a short while ago.
History of the Evangelical Church
Historically, the emergence of the Evangelical Protestant church had its origins on the European continent with revivals that began in Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands and England, well before the birth of the United States of America. In spite of its rich past history, becoming an Evangelical Christian by free choice is still a rare and misunderstood concept for most of Europe and even more so in modern France. Conservative doctrine is often viewed as restrictive and confining in France, where separation of Church and State have been championed since the French Revolution.
Misconception
Due to the confusion of doctrinal differences, and often the Christian witness itself, churches are viewed as “dangerous” by most French, and we are commonly and falsely associated with cult groups and given a common title of “secte.” For the most part, modern Christianity is still perceived as imported religion from the US and, like many other nations, the French have a hard time accepting the Bible as the ultimate truth.
Challenges
Today, most French view churches as an ethnic movement given the predominant following of African immigrants. Evangelizing and proselytizing are considered religious propaganda, harassment, and psychological abuse for which protective laws were created to help control such efforts. Relatively, it is still a country of free speech in this, the nation known as the birthplace of “Human Rights”. Currently, the prominent church is the monolithic Catholic Church which is in sharp decline. Today, most French view churches as an ethnic movement given the predominant following of African immigrants.
Islam
Islamic organizations and mosques are prolific in France due to religious tolerance, with Islamic following as high as 11% of the overall French population. Depending on the source, Christians number are now between 0.6 and 2.4 percent of the population.
More Challenges
The Evangelical Church is slowly growing. Unfortunately, those that are growing the fastest are those often affiliated with un-Biblical doctrine, preaching prosperity, health and wealth doctrines. Doctrinally weak charismatic churches are discovering great appeal in inner-city and other difficult neighborhoods throughout France.
The Good News…
In Lyon there is more and more of a collective effort within the Evangelic Protestant churches. Lyon is the third largest city in France, and evangelistic outreach often occurs on a grand scale. The Lyonnais seem to be, in general, different than the Parisians and the People of the South, where street evangelists are often ignored and rarely given the time of day. There, people stop to listen and they rarely have hang-ups with Americans.
An Open Door
After more than 4 years of praying and waiting on the Lord, God has thrown open a window of opportunity for me to serve at Calvary Chapel Lyon with Daniel and Jennifer Flores. This new church-plant ministers to
a small group of believers in Lyon as well as a group of believers living in Les Moulettes. They currently have no worship leader, so I will be leading worship. I will also study the language at the local University.
Sharing God’s Love
I will also seek to build one-on-one relationships and share the love of God, His Word, and salvation through the person of Jesus Christ.
My heart is to serve in France indefinitely and I have made a one to two-year commitment to Calvary Chapel Lyon.
How You Can Help
I will be responsible for raising 100% of my support.
- I will initially need $3,000 to get to France.
- In addition, I will need ongoing, continued support of approx $1,200 per month until the Lord directs me back home.
I will also need lots of prayer support
- Please pray for me both as I prepare and once I am on the field. There are many obstacles and hurdles to be overcome both home and on the field.
- Please pray for the Nation of France (for hearts to be open to His love and salvation).
Note: For more information please see the other tabs at the top of this blog. You can also complete and submit a support form as well as donate online by clicking on the “How You Can Help” tab.
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