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Hungry Churches in France
14 March 2008
Most people probably wouldn't associate France with a vibrant Christian voice. After all, it is the only state in modern Europe which has secularism built into its constitution.
However, there are pockets of church growth, and church leaders who are hungry to move beyond institutional church into truly influential local churches.
Mal Fletcher discovered this once again on his return visit this week to a pastors' conference in Grenoble, a one hour drive from Lyon. The conference brought together leaders from Pentecostal and Charismatic churches across France and the French speaking nations - including some visitors from Africa.
The group is very diverse, with representatives from almost every different kind of Charismatic church in France today. The conference was led by Pastor Robert Radix, a good friend of this ministry and a regular member of the Strategic Leadership Consultation,* hosted annually by Next Wave International.
The theme of the event was "Setting Vision for the Church". As the keynote speaker, Mal brought a challenging two-part series on vision in leadership, and the need to combine spiritual insight with research, strategic thinking and an understanding of the cultural impact of vision. Part of his messages dealt with the central facts about forming a culture within a group of people and how spiritual revelation is meant not to set rules for church life, but to redefine the culture by which people live.
Mal says: 'We invite all of our friends and partners to pray for the churches of France. They don't have the same heritage as churches in many other parts of the world -- or even Europe -- but there is an obvious hunger, especially among the emerging Generation-X leaders, for a new brand of church life which does more than perpetuate Pentecostal tradition.'
The Strategic Leadership Consultation, SLC08: MAINSTREAM, will take place on May 8-10 in Malaga, Spain, bringing together 50 invited church network leaders from across Europe and the world. For more information, click here.
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