Pastor Olivier Jung introduces his ministry
Hello everyone! My name’s Olivier and I’m 43 years old. I’ve been a pastor in the Vendée for 17 years and married to Marie for the last 10 of those. The Vendée is a mostly rural department in the west of France, made up of 650,000 inhabitants and marked by strong traditions often linked to Catholicism. This region is part of what the evangelical community in France calls the “white zone” because of the low density of fellowships.
Following a decade of involvement in a church plant near the Atlantic coast, in 2019 we moved to plant a new church in Montaigu-Vendée, a town of 21,000 inhabitants in the north-east of the department. With a small team of three, our vision was to encourage each other to become intentionally involved in the life of the town, investing in relationships mainly through clubs and local charities. We were quickly joined by a local Christian retired couple and this small group formed the nucleus of the church plant.
Our emerging community set up an association (similar to a UK charity) called Un cœur pour Montaigu-Vendée (“A heart for MV”) to demonstrate our love for the town, our desire to bless its inhabitants, to contribute to local development, social cohesion, and “the welfare of the city” (Jeremiah 29.7, ESV). Today, the church comprises 20+ people plus a few more on a spiritual journey.
When it comes to our gatherings, whether in home groups or public meetings, we adopt a participatory, interactive format to promote the educational aspect of discipleship. Through the themes covered during the coffee-time discussions, we seek to talk with our non-Christian friends about issues that are important to them.
According to Job 33.14, “God does speak – now one way, now another – though no one perceives it.” The following anecdote shows that the Lord certainly doesn’t lack creativity when it comes to revealing Himself! 😊
C. belongs to a camera club. One day, while she was at the Montaigu-Vendée station taking some photos, a group of teenagers came running towards her, hurrying to catch their train. One of them stopped to hand C. a book that they thought she’d dropped. Before she could say anything, the teenagers had already hurried off. The book in her hands was a Bible. Although C. knew the book wasn’t hers, she didn’t feel she should just leave it there. So, she took it with her and found herself starting a journey... A few months later, she contacted me and quickly joined our community with a real hunger and thirst for understanding. Today, she’s come to the point where she understands who Jesus is and the scope of His work and is starting to prepare for baptism. What a joy to see the Lord’s work in her life!
In addition to our own project in Montaigu-Vendée, since 2019 I’ve been responsible for supporting evangelical communities which are establishing themselves or seeking to establish themselves in the department. I support the elders of a Perspectives church which does not currently have a pastor. I also work as a trainer with the Perspectives churches in the Greater West region.
To help with all of this, I wanted to develop my skills and deepen my theological understanding, particularly with regard to mission and church planting. As a result, in autumn 2024, I started a three-year Masters in Missiology, taught part-time at the evangelical seminary of Vaux-sur-Seine, near Paris. I’m very grateful for these courses which are both stimulating and enriching for practical application in the field. Thank you for helping to make this possible and for your prayers for the Vendée and Western France more generally.
