France Mission’s Director Paul Cooke provides an overview
This is the first of three articles to help supporters understand a bit more about the broader picture of evangelicalism in France. We’ll start by looking at the CNEF, before moving on to the Réseau FEF and Perspectives in future issues.
Although still a relatively young organisation, the CNEF (National Council of French Evangelicals) has its roots in the 16th-century Reformation and the Revival movements that followed.
In June 2001, many French evangelical leaders assembled at the Nogent Bible Institute for a meeting organised by the French Evangelical Alliance (founded in 1846) and the French Evangelical Federation (founded in 1969). Over the next nine years, this crucial meeting led to increasing co-operation between various evangelical denominations and organisations such that the CNEF was formally established in June 2010. It now represents over 70% of French evangelicals, with 34 denominations and 179 organisational members.
All CNEF members share the same three-fold vision:
1. Being – a spiritual body: various evangelical denominations and organisations come together in the CNEF to express and deepen the unity they have in Christ.
2. Doing – an institutional force: united, CNEF members can express their values within French society and represent Evangelical Protestantism to the authorities.
3. Inspiring – a missional dynamic: together, CNEF members seek to promote gospel witness in word and deed wherever they can, especially through planting new churches, strengthening existing communities, and participating in world mission.
For organisational ease, CNEF members are assigned to one of five categories, referred to as “poles”:
· Pôle œuvres: for evangelical organisations and training institutions
· Pôle ADD: for the Assemblies of God and associated denominations (493 churches)
· Pôle évangélique de la FPF: for evangelical churches that also belong to the French Protestant Federation (369 churches)
· Pôle Pentecôtiste charismatique: for charismatic & Pentecostal denominations other than the ADD (265 churches)
· Pôle Réseau FEF: for classic evangelical denominations (455 churches)
Each of these poles elects members to serve on the CNEF’s Representative Committee (16 members) who then elect an Executive Group (5 members). Rachel Calvert currently serves on the Representative Committee. FM’s main mission partner, Perspectives, belongs to the Pôle Réseau FEF. I’ll explain more about them in the next issue. In the meantime, please pray for the CNEF as they seek to unify and represent French evangelicals.
