IMB Partners With French Churches on Olympic Outreach in Paris, France

A French pastor was preparing a community outreach event during the Olympics when he thought back to a conversation he had overheard years earlier. A mother and child had walked past his church, and the child asked, “What is this place, this building?” The mother answered, “It’s a museum.”

That weekend, the church opened its doors to the community for a children’s festival. More than 100 people attended, an unprecedented number for the church. The building sits in an area where many Muslims live. Volunteers set up play stations in the courtyard and inside the building. When rain began and everyone moved the games indoors, children asked their mothers to stay and keep playing inside the church. For some children, it was their first time entering an evangelical church. Opening the doors to neighbors and strangers, as this church did, reflects hospitality (Matthew 25:35).

Several people who attended the event returned for Sunday services. They also asked the pastor if they could meet to discuss their questions about faith. He said he was thrilled. “I don’t think anyone is ever going to see this place as a museum again,” he told Jason Harris, leader of the International Mission Board’s Paris team.

The article describes the French context as difficult for evangelical ministry. According to the report, French people are one of the largest unreached people groups in the world, and large pockets of 200,000 to 300,000 people have no evangelical churches. Ninety-five percent of French churches have fewer than 100 members, and most have fewer than 50. Harris said churches often have one pastor who handles nearly every task. One Southern Baptist volunteer who spent time in Paris this summer reported that many people he met were uninterested in or resistant to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Harris’s team has hosted more than 300 Southern Baptist volunteers who worked alongside French churches on Olympic outreach this summer. The team hopes to plant five churches in Paris within five years. Harris acknowledged that church planting in a post-Christian setting like France is a long and difficult effort, and he said his team’s greatest need is strong partnership with existing churches. “Ultimately, we’re here to serve the French church, and we want to equip and strengthen them as much as possible,” he said.

The IMB also partnered with a local French artist and believer to host an immersive art experience at the oldest Baptist church in Paris. Volunteers handed out invitations on the street. Harris said he hopes that working alongside local churches during the Olympics will strengthen those partnerships, mobilize local believers, and support future church planting in Paris and beyond.

Several local pastors have contacted Harris to say they were encouraged by the outreach opportunities the Olympics created. According to the article, some churches that were initially wary or overwhelmed by hosting outreach events are now helping to meet needs.

One local French believer took part in the IMB’s Olympic outreach for a day. Afterward, she messaged Harris to say the outreach was remarkable and that she wanted her church to be more involved. He encouraged her to speak with her pastor, and she did. The pastor then made an announcement to his congregation, encouraging members to take part.

Source: Read the original report