A new era of faith: 5 take aways from 36 years of ministry

The French Government maintains a strict separation between religion and the state, and most French citizens don’t identify as religious. But John and Sue both noticed things changing since they first started their ministry.

“We used to talk about working in France as a difficult place and we'd ask people to pray for a change in the spiritual climate,” says Sue. “At some point, there seemed to be a shift… we noticed that young people with no church background at all were starting to look towards faith to find some answers to their questions.”

“We even had two or three people come into the church just because they bought a Bible and wanted somebody to explain it to them,” John adds.

The Baptist Church in France is a much smaller denomination compared to the UK. Yet John doesn’t see this as an obstacle for French Baptists. Whether it’s running outreach during the 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympics or supporting a Farsi-speaking church led by refugees from the Middle East, French Baptists are finding creative ways of sharing the gospel.

“[Evangelical churches] are thinking through issues together,” says John. “They're trying to help one another be relevant to today’s needs.

“Building on the Protestant heritage brought about through the enlightenment, Baptists in France are building bridges between the historic churches and the newer and more diverse expressions of Christianity. Whilst giving thanks for the past, we are learning to embrace the future.”

“The Church in France has always had at the forefront to welcome the stranger,” Sue says. “It’s in our DNA. Even going back in the history of our own church in Paris, they were involved in the resistance during the Second World War. Members from the church helped some of the Jews to escape France.

“Most of our churches have some form of social action,” she goes on to say. “Whilst many people feel anxious about the increasing number of immigrants, our churches are finding ways to help people who are being displaced and finding out that many have a more vibrant faith than our own. Churches across France have been strengthened by the influx of Christians from across the world who have been displaced because of conflicts or economic reasons.”

“I think it's interesting when you're in ministry because you can start with the viewpoint of giving to others,” Sue says. “But it's also about learning to receive from others… It wasn't all about us bringing hope and change. It was about us receiving that hope and change in our own lives.”

John often reflects on the moment in the gospels where Jesus sends the disciples out to heal the sick and preach the good news of the Kingdom. “How much of that was to change the disciples as much as to change the world?” he says. “The one reflects the other.”

After 36 years of ministry, John and Sue never cease to be amazed by how faithful God is.

“God is more hopeful, more open and more young in spirit than we are!” John says.

“Because we're now stepping away from ministry, you reflect a lot more on it,” shares Sue. “I think it's part of the process – and just seeing the great faithfulness of God toward us.”

Please keep John and Sue in your prayers as they embrace retirement back in the UK. And keep praying for the nation of France, that more and more people will come to experience God’s love thanks to the foundations laid by John and Sue’s inspirational ministry.