by Jon Konnerup
What do you think of when you think of France? The Eiffel Tower? The Louvre? Notre Dame Cathedral? The palaces at Versailles? French bread? Cheese? Rich desserts? French toast?
All of these typify France and are reminders of the rich historical and cultural treasure France is to the world. More important than all the architectural wonders, the historical landmarks, the cultural traditions, and the food, are the people of France. There are millions of people who have not heard a clear gospel witness and who seem to have no spiritual hunger or thirst for God.
It is said that France is a missionary graveyard. Early missionary endeavors were made in France; however, in our modern times, France has become one of the slowest and most difficult places to spread the Good News. Why? There are a variety of reasons, but I want to highlight three.
One is the small number of willing workers. The spiritual ground in France is hard with little yield in the last five decades. It can be discouraging when results seem to be sparse. The French are searching for spiritual meaning and find themselves empty after trying other paths. Continued patient evangelism and missionary work is necessary. We need people to be on the ground for an extended period of time to build relationships and trust, to get involved in our established churches and our camp, and to till the spiritual soil, softening it to receive the seed of the gospel. It will take surrender of more people in our churches to go to France so that we have more people to do the work and be that witness.
Another reason is the limited amount of financial resources. There is a misconception that France is a “comfortable” mission field where one does not need to make many sacrifices. This misconception not only makes it more difficult for missionaries to raise support, but it extends their time on deputation. France is a very expensive country in which to live and work, so the level of support a missionary needs is greater. Fuel for a car is currently around $6 a gallon and the purchase of land and buildings seems to be out of reach. The reports of salvations and churches started in France convey not only the difficulty of the field, but may reflect that many concerned for missions are interested in going to and investing in countries where the results are greater. It is going to take a dedicated effort to financially and prayerfully support those who serve.
The last reason I want to highlight is the spiritual dearth in France. France has a population of 60.7 million people with 10.7 million people in Paris alone. These numbers are growing rapidly by the day as more people migrate there from all around the world. Many believe that France is now the largest unreached western nation because of its strong growth in multi-culturalism leading to many different false religious views. There are thousands of cities and towns without any gospel witness or Bible-believing church. Although France is now known for its rejection of the Bible which has led them to a philosophy of secularism, materialism, and socialism, certain religions are not dying. Islam is growing at an alarming rate, mostly due to the number of those entering from Islamic countries. It is estimated that 4.5 million Muslims live in France. Many cults are present and belief in the occult is also prevalent. It is said that there are six times as many spiritual mediums as there are doctors.
Consequently, missionaries are always under strong spiritual attacks from the Devil and it is difficult for people to be open to the Truth. Their hearts are blinded by the evil one who has gained a stronghold in France and will not readily relinquish it. These religions and cults have caused the French government to crack down on the activity of most religious groups. They have initiated legislation to limit their abilities to work freely. One day, this may affect our missionaries and their ministries. We need to do as much as we can now before such restrictions occur. Thankfully, at this time, our missionaries have the necessary recognition to freely serve as God has called and led them.
All of this became very personal and evident to me when my family and I visited France this summer. Baptist Bible Fellowship International has four families currently in France who are all active in ministry and desire to see more churches started. The Dedeyans have been in France for 40 years, the Williams family for 35 years, the Autersons for 10 years, and the Van Meris family for about six years. People have been brought to Christ through their efforts and churches have been started who have in turn reproduced themselves by sending out their own to other cities. A highlight of our visit was attending and preaching in the main church where the Dedeyans have worked. The people’s excitement for the Lord and interest to see the Truth spread in their country was encouraging. The Dedeyans have a three-week-long youth camp every July. Through the years, many young people have been saved and numerous have surrendered to serve the Lord while at this camp.
Our time with the missionaries was a blessing. I was amazed at their diligence in spite of the difficulties and barriers they face. Missionary Paul Dedeyan states that the three reasons why the French find it hard to accept the gospel message are (1) the desire to put the family and entertainment first, (2) loyalty and dedication to their own religion, and (3) materialism. Each missionary family stated that despite all the hindrances, they see opportunities — great opportunities to reach people with the gospel and start new churches. Their plea is for more laborers to join in the task. Good things are happening through the BBFI missionaries in France.
So what can we do? Urgently PRAY! We must pray for God’s power and protection for our current missionaries in France. Pray that God will enable the current churches to reach out to the many cities that are without a church. Pray that God will provide more laborers to partner with our current missionary force. Are we up to this task?