About us

Where we work

Europe: France

Mission History

In 1987 Christian Reformed World Missions began investigating needs and opportunities for a ministry in France. In 1989 World Missions agreed to work with the evangelical Reformed churches of France, and began by loaning a missionary to the Faculté Libre de Théologie Réforme (a Reformed seminary) in Aix-en-Provence.

Culture

France was one of the first countries to progress from feudalism to the era of the nation-state. Three European peoples–Celtic, Latin and Teutonic–blended over the centuries to make up the present population, which numbers nearly 60 million. The largest West European nation, France is about four-fifths the size of Texas.

Fully 90 percent of the people are considered to be Roman Catholic, with Protestants accounting for less than two percent of the modern population. The French Reformation began in university towns throughout the country in the 1500s, and the Reformed churches experienced expansion. However, subsequent persecution of Protestants forced many Reformed believers underground.

The Edict of Tolerance in 1797 and the French Revolution enabled French Protestantism to be legally recognized again. But institutions established since then failed to give a clearly Reformed message. Responding to the liberalism of the established universities, the Faculté Libre de Théologie Réformée was inaugurated in 1974 as a decidedly Reformed seminary. Today the Reformed Church in France, with 274,000 members, is the largest of some 100 Protestant denominations in the country. Overall, only two percent of the French population is Protestant.

Although France is considered an advanced nation politically and economically, the French have regressed spiritually. Christian missionaries working there today report widespread paganism, the rise of the occult, and a cold resistance to the Gospel.

Mission & Vision

Early in 1990, Rev. Harold Kallemeyn began an internship in a Reformed church in Marseille as part of an orientation program to the Reformed churches of France. He has since participated in synodical meetings of both the Reformed Church of France and the Evangelical Reformed Church.

Rev. Kallemeyn teaches at the Reformed Seminary in Aix-en-Provence, where he instructs students from France as well as other French-speaking nations such as Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, Madagascar, and numerous African nations. He also established a practical theology department at the seminary.

In addition to the work with the seminary and churches, Harold and Elsbeth Kallemeyn work together in a discipleship ministry with some of the students. Elsbeth participates in a hospital ministry and has organized a home Bible study with women from the area.

Results

Rev. Kallemeyn reports that the state of the Reformed church in France is, humanly speaking, weak. He and the rest of the faculty at the seminary have begun to develop a program of training for pastors with a view to bringing a spiritual revival in France. In addition, Rev. Kallemeyn has worked with a group of Christian psychologists to show a relationship between Christianity and therapy. He also leads numerous seminars and retreats for pastors in Francophore Africa.

Prayer & Support

The most important gift you can give missionaries is a daily prayer for their lives and work. At any given time Christian Reformed World Missions supports over 200 long-term and short-term missionaries located in over 20 countries around the world. Through partnerships, our work extends to over 30 countries. These people have been called, commissioned, and sent by Christian Reformed churches to represent our devotion to Jesus Christ, and to urge others to accept His offer of salvation.

Here’s a partial list of items to pray for on behalf of missionaries:

  • emotional needs
  • physical needs
  • relationships with other missionaries
  • relationships with nationals
  • relationship with God
  • effective ministry
  • family life

Financial support is also crucial for the ongoing work of bringing the Good News around the world. Support can be given for specific missionaries, or specific projects can be found in the “Project Giving Guide” at your church or available from the World Missions offices in either the United States or Canada.

The CRWM Team in France

Harold and Elsbeth Kallemeyn Project Leader, Timothy Leadership Training 011-33-442-21-3229 (home), 011-33-442-26-1355 (office), 011-33-442-21-4470 (fax)

More Resources

Proclaim: May-June 2002
• Download the Word Document (11pg, 57k)
• Download the PDF (8pg, 313k)