Church-planting in Paris

This morning I met with a couple whom I don't know very well, but appreciate very much. They have lived in Paris for a few years with another group and have done a good job integrating and building a network of contacts. They wanted me to meet with their supervisor, who came from another part of France, as well as a French colleague. The couple is involved in some different creative endeavors. Their supervisor has a son who apparently is a good musician.

I discovered during our meeting that this couple and their French colleague are developing a church-planting vision and strategy for Paris. I got to learn a little about it. Ironically, I was reading some of Andy Stanley's "Visioneering" on the way to the meeting. The section I read talked about how new visions often are missing some of the "how to" details, as the process is still in the works. It was a reminder to not criticize too quickly the lack of precision in some new ministry plans.

The meeting helped trigger some feelings and thoughts about church-planting in Paris.

One was that there is no general strategy that will work for all of Paris, as each neighborhood is different. If one is really trying to plug into and minister to a particular section, then the program details must be coherent with the people and rhythm of that place. Otherwise, the church risks to be irrelevant to the people in that particular neighborhood. In a way, if one aims too broadly, then one won't hit anything.

Someone mentioned that the strategy of Tim Keller and Redeemer Presbyterian Church might have some principles that apply. I don't know enough about that church to have a strong opinion. However, I do think that NYC still has more Christian influence there than Paris. The few people that I know who attend Redeemer have been Christians for years. I wonder if there are people coming to personal faith in Christ through that church.

On the one hand, there is a need for new churches in Paris. I hear a statistic that in Quebec, new churches have more people that come to personal faith than established ones. This rings true with me, although I don't have stats to prove it here.

However, if a new church is looking to build its membership primarily through getting transfers from other churches, then I wonder if the overall Kingdom of God in Paris is being helped or harmed by a new church-planting effort.

I like the fact that this young couple has the bulk of their relationships with those outside the church. In that way, their new church would not be sheep stealing, but rather helping birth new followers of Jesus of people that aren't in any church. There is a great need for churches of whom a key focus is reaching out to their neighborhood and those outside the faith. These churches must have people who are integrating well into their neighborhoods and sharing their faith through their works, words, and attitudes. Paris needs many more Jesus followers who waft the sweet presence of Jesus around them.

I was reminded that a lot of my urban ministry philosophy came from reading and hearing Ray Bakke. His book "The Urban Christian" has been invaluable to me in terms of understanding what it means to be a witness in a city.

One challenge in church-planting is finding the time and energy to focus on outward looking relationships. It's so easy to get caught up in the pastoral care aspect of church so that the seeking the lost sheep vision gets lost.

I wish my friends well. May they have favor with God and with the people around them. May God open the right doors for them. May many new births happen in the midst of their assembly.