Why Churches Worship Illegally—In Paris
Kenzo Tribouillard / AFP / GettyWhy Churches Worship Illegally—In Paris
As more than 100 Haitian evangelicals danced and sang on Easter Sunday, the floor caved in at their makeshift church north of Paris. The deaths of a 6-year-old girl and 47-year-old woman who fell through the second story of the rented house in Stains were a tragic sign that Christian gatherings have outgrown available space in the secular French capital.
"Many immigrants that come from French islands and territories are fervent in their religious expression," said Gilbert Bilezikian, a pastor and former Wheaton College professor born and educated in France. "[They] cannot gather without making a lot of noise, so it is difficult to find places to meet."
Of the nation's 1.6 million Protestants, 460,000 now identify as evangelicals amid heavy immigration from Francophone nations. Last year, their churches nearly tripled from 769 to 2,068, according to the French National Council of Evangelical Churches (CNEF).
However, cash-strapped congregations—immigrant or otherwise—are having difficulty finding worship space that meets safety standards.
"Space is a very hard thing to find over here, and is very expensive," said Lorenzo Monge, founder and lead pastor of the Église de la Brie, a young church just east of Paris.
Thus many churches "outlaw themselves" by illegally worshiping in unsafe buildings, says Christian Willi, publisher of French magazine Christianity Today (unrelated to CT). "This [trend] is a real problem."
The problem lies in poor relationships with local authorities, according to CNEF. "Free exercise of religion … is hampered if evangelical communities do not have access to suitable premises," states the group.
Meanwhile, many historic chapels with soaring steeples and gothic architecture are being demolished for lack of attendance amid rising upkeep and restoration costs.
Some historic churches rent their space. But the available time slots are no longer sufficient. Willi mentions a legislative proposal that churches be given special long-term leases in order to purchase property cheaply and pay its full value off over time.
CNEF, which represents approximately 75 percent of France's evangelicals, hopes to rectify the situation by promoting dialogue between churches and local authorities.
One case study: Monge, who took a part-time job with an IT company in order to connect with local leaders. "We [now] have a very good relationship with all of the mayors around."
After meeting for 18 months in places ranging from a Catholic presbytery to a city reception hall, the Église de la Brie recently succeeded in buying a warehouse to host services for its 140 congregants.
A Fractured and Beautiful Faith
Streaming This Weekend, May 24, 2013
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Carol barr
We church plant in Paris because there is less than 1% active Christians in Evangelical circles. Catholics have 1 priest for 27 parishes. Separation of Church and State is a law. There is difficulty dealing with the city authorities when they use this law. Everyone always starts a church in their homes unless they use a coffee shop. But at some point one outgrows - Praise God! Some are able to get a community center donated but there are restrictions. It's a very good idea to get to know the local mayors and the Catholic church if it's active. Immigration has made a huge shift in how the mayors decide who gets property or not and they are also getting pushed strongly by Imams. The mayors have final say on purchasing property which seems more like the old feudal system. We have had a Catholic priest writing on our team's behalf to say we Protestants are good people; let them buy some land. One mayor finally allowed one of our church plants to purchase after being there many years.
Steve Skeete
Dan Bruce asked about worship in homes? The article did not tell us much about French laws relative to worship in public or private places. It also did not say anything about the freedom of evangelical Churches to purchase land or property. It is ironic though, that while 'many historic chapels with soaring steeples and gothic architecture are being demolished for lack of attendance amid rising upkeep and restoration costs', that people who want to worship cannot find a suitable venue at a reasonable cost. The lack of a facility in which to worship, however, should not be viewed as something insurmountable. The Church of Jesus Christ has always risen to the task when the odds seemed to be against it. There is for example, a large and ever growing Church in China, part of which refuses to be controlled by the state. Lack of state recognition and use of state facilities has not been a hindrance to the growth of this Church. I expect that evangelicals in France will pull through as well
Dan Bruce
Why not just have smaller gatherings of a dozen or so in more places, perhaps in homes? That seems to be more in keeping with the spirit of the first-century church than the mega-church movement that has gained so much popularity in the U.S. in recent years. Plus, having many smaller "neighborhood" congregations would make for a better witness. Larger gatherings in suitable venues could bring all of the congregations together once or twice a year for Bible or Mission Weeks (similar to the first Pentecost, which was one of three pilgrimage festivals for ancient Jews that year), and visiting "circuit evangelists" could make sure the home-church teachings were staying Bible-based, like Paul did. I'm thrilled that growth is a problem, though.--Dan Bruce, The Prophecy Society