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Once a marginal current in one of Europe’s most secular countries, France’s evangelical Christians are becoming more visible as they expand congregations, open new churches and attract younger believers.
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The scene could be mistaken for a rock concert: an electric guitar, drums, and enthusiastic singers harmonising to the beat of a very catchy tune. But on this Sunday, October 5th, in a theatre filled with almost a thousand people, that is the opening of an evangelical celebration.
At the same time, over 80 evangelical services are taking place around France for the first nationwide celebration organised by France’s National Evangelical Council (CNEF).
According to the CNEF, a new evangelical church opens its doors in France every ten days, bringing the number of followers to around a million people, and making evangelicalism the largest denomination within the country’s Protestant community.
In 1950, there were fewer than 50,000 people identifying as evangelical in the country.
Watch moreEvangelicalism continues to grow in France
While these figures are difficult to verify independently, they reflect a movement clearly gaining momentum. In services filmed by the ENTR team, the atmosphere was electric – filled with young faces, music-led worship and an emphasis on personal, participatory faith.
At a time when traditional confessions lose more followers than they gain, evangelicalism has grown to become one of the most prominent movements within protestant Christianity worldwide. With millions of followers in the US, South America, Africa and Asia, evangelicalism is now gaining ground in Europe, too.
Evangelical churches have very little hierarchy, prioritising freedom of worship for the different congregations. This means any confession identifying as evangelical can open a church and start their worship. Such freedom also means that there’s very little oversight.
A report published by the French government shows that among all Christian groups flagged for sectarian abuse, evangelicals come up the most often.
Arnaud Jeuch, an evangelical pastor in Paris, France, told ENTR: “Evangelicalism isn’t a registered trademark; it’s not under anyone’s control. So anyone can file with the prefecture to create a religious association and call themselves evangelical, put that in their title — no one can really control that. Is that a problem? I think it would be another kind of problem if we had to make sure everyone fit the right mould before opening a church.”
France’s evangelical landscape is strikingly diverse. Many congregants trace roots to Africa or France’s overseas territories; others come from Roma, Asian and travelling communities, worshipping alongside recent converts.
Noémie Suzanne, 27, is one of them. Ten years ago she converted to evangelicalism, after what she defines as “a life-changing experience”.
The ENTR team went to Lyon to hear her story and spend the day with her congregation.
Watch the documentary for the full report.
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