Free Evangelical Church in Orthez, France, holds Sunday worship without a resident pastor

The two Protestant churches of Orthez, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, have gone for several months without a resident pastor, yet both hold worship every Sunday. The Evangelical Free Church, which meets at 74 Lapeyrère Street, has not had a pastor to lead weekly worship since the last century. The United Protestant Church of France meets at the Poustelle Square temple.

Jacques Laherrère, president of the Free Evangelical Church, said on Holy Saturday, April 16, that the church operates in line with the law and that responsibility is shared among its members so that the life of the parish of about 50 faithful is maintained as well as possible. When there is no resident pastor, services are led by members of the congregation and, at times, by a retired pastor. Laherrère’s members have taken on that shared work faithfully, a picture of serving through one’s calling (Colossians 3:23).

Martine Belet, president of the United Protestant Church, explained that teaching is central to Protestant worship. Parishioners of each church, she said, prepare themselves in the liturgy and in preaching so they can be accredited to lead worship when there is no pastor. Belet said she would lead the liturgical part of the Sunday morning service.

The article describes how worship in the area has changed over time. Laherrère recalled that the parish once had many churches in which worship was held, and that services were carried on by parishioners themselves. That practice has largely disappeared, and today worship is sometimes relayed by telephone for those who cannot attend in person.

Laherrère explained the difficulty of recruiting pastors. Pastors are often married, he said, and their spouses must be able to find work locally. Orthez is a small town with few such opportunities, and he said this may not be impossible to turn to the church’s advantage. He also noted that pastoral posts in the region rotate every six years, and recalled that in the church’s early days two pastors served for 50 years each.

For now, the Free Evangelical Church plans to continue its arrangement of alternating lay-led services with a retired pastor. The United Protestant Church expects a resident pastor to arrive in June, in the person of Marie-Françoise Vialard.

Source: Read the original report (translated from French)