First, the Protestant Federation from France informs us that 17 churches and unions of churches that comprise total approximately 900,000 members. On October 20, 2005, Le Monde announced in 1.1 million. These figures include the historic Protestant churches. The Reformed Church of France, for example, posting an average of 300,000 members. The FRA explains reach approximately 110,000 households or about 450,000 people. How is the calculation? A Reformed pastor told us: "A reformed pastoral position, normally, 250 families are referenced. ... We are 400 pastors" It therefore reaches 100 000 households, which seems roughly to correspond with the official figure.
According to Dagon Gerard, author of the Panorama of France and New Evangelical Christian Encyclopedia, evangelicals now constitute 75% of the Protestant Federation. Yet he announces 750,000 Protestants in France, including about 300,000 evangelical. We must understand that Protestants and Reformed members account for "birth" or having received a "sacrament" in the church. The audience is actually much weaker numerically.
Also according to Gerard Dagon, there are in France 4500 places of worship gospel. The place of worship, means the premises receiving worship at least one week. Similarly, he said, France had about 3,000 pastors.
These figures are widely disputed by Daniel Liechti, a specialist statistical es-France-Mission (formerly Operation Mobilization) and National Council of Evangelicals for France, which includes 73% of local churches of France, or the Assemblies of God (ADD), the Evangelical Alliance (AEF), the Evangelical Federation (FEF) and the Evangelical Protestant Federation (FPF). Basing his work on a much more methodical observation of the evangelical landscape and its evolution from 1970 to today, Daniel Liechti advance the figure of 1850 local churches in 2004 (they were only 769 in 1970). Her methodology is different: they are taken into account that the premises that receive at least 3 religions month.
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We asked officials Assemblies of God (ADD) from France precise figures on the number of members, but we received no response. We must understand that this designation, like King David, "enumeration" has no place biblically. In an open letter to leaders of the Protestant Federation, Alain Denizou, president of the Federation National Assemblies of God of France, announced still 433 pastors. Dagon Gerard complete by estimating the number of ADD in France at 732. Daniel Liechti-only about 400, according to its criteria more strict.
In 2003, the press service of ADD France announced already 62 000 members, "with growth of 1 to 3% per year," said the Rev. Bernard Gisquet which states: "As regards the numbers of supporters ( ...) the fact that we can do by talking with pastors, is that in general their address book has 2 to 3 times more people than they have participants in worship. " This figure does not include churches DOM-TOM, which would total 30 000 to 40 000 members. It is therefore reasonable to talk about ADD 100 000 Pentecostals in France.
Other Pentecostal movement, but he affiliated with the Federation of Protestant Evangelical Gypsy Mission of France, announced 65,000 members in a small number of places of worship (49). Due to the mobility of this population, their number remains very unclear. That is why the Protestant Federation of France puts the figure at 100 000 Pentecostal gypsies.
Evangelicals "classic" (or charismatic or Pentecostal, or even downright hostile to these trends) would present their growth diminished somewhat in France. We do not yet speak of decline. Daniel Liechti does not share this view, even if he agrees to say that evangelicals "charismatic" or "Pentecostal" in France have the highest growth rate among all evangelicals. This trend is confirmed by statistics reported in December 2004 by the weekly Courrier International, the world recencer 210 million and 523 million evangelical Pentecostals.
"The numbers are difficult to handle," considers For its part, Stéphane Lauzet, Secretary General of the French Evangelical Alliance (AEF). It refers to the work of evangelical sociologist Sébastien Fath, who in his recent book From the ghetto to the network, Protestantism in France-1800-2005 puts the figure at 350,000, which it adds 45,000 to the "ethnic churches". On page 216 of his book, even Sébastien Fath adds that "a minority in general statistical terms, they (evangelicals) are more than 75% of practicing French Protestants in 2005." Daniel Liechti said: Among these 395 000 Evangelicals, 25% are members of the FPS, 25% of ETF and 20% ADD. For others, the figures are more difficult to assess.
few examples. According to the FSF, the Plymouth Brethren (pejoratively nicknamed "Darbystes") number 105. 100 people on average regularly attend meetings (200 to 400 for large meetings, fifty for small), or roughly 10,000 people in France (low estimate). According to Samuel Knight Milhau, head of the Christian Centre Gagnières, France also has about a thousand Messianic (Jews who recognized the Messiah and professing the new-birth and a biblical doctrine only) and between 5,000 and 15,000 Jews became Christians, both Catholic and Protestant.
Major absent from official statistics are evangelical Adventists. Regarded by many as a cult, the church is still a member of the Protestant Federation. Far from the bickering "legalistic" in the past, much of the 44,643 baptized members and 284 enrolled in the Adventist churches in France could easily be counted among evangelicals.
regard to ethnic churches, the assessment of 45,000 advanced by Sébastien Fath could be below reality. Paris on the directory are identified UBF twenty Chinese churches, each with about 400 members. "Paris alone," says Dominique also Leuliette, president of an association of churches, "Haitians are three federations. The pastor of All Saints represents 220 pastors." Each church would have a Haitian average of 50 members. And what about the Tamils and others?
From the publishers of Congolese Amen, a magazine distributed free throughout Europe, the African diaspora is estimated at 600,000 people (low range), alone Paris area! 40% of them are evangelicals (this high percentage seems to be confirmed by statistics on global mission: Eastern Bloc, 6000 conversions per day. South America, 9600 conversions per day. China 25 000 conversions / day. And Africa, 120,000 conversions / day). These 240,000 Christians African (or Afro-Caribbean) of the Paris basin alone contrasted strangely with the 45,000 advanced by Sébastien Fath, for France, of all ethnic origins.
The figures given by Pierre Lefèbvre, if they do not match the data collected by the French experts of the mission, have the merit of raising several questions: If evangelicals are more likely than Protestants in the Protestant Federation, how is it that their positions (including ethical) are a minority and not highlighted? Certainly, the numerical balance in the Protestant Federation rocked, probably since the '70s. Proponents of a certain liberal theology, a growing minority, must take this into account and ensure the relay truly evangelical positions on issues including abortion, homosexuality and the authority of Scripture .
The "official" figures do not account entirely a phenomenon of importance: the Christian "church without fixed". Year after year, they are increasingly likely to leave the denominational churches for various reasons (doctrinal, weariness of conflict of interest or person, lack of support, listening or monitoring, etc..) To gather in small informal groups. It is not uncommon to see "large communities" that already had 500 members 15 years ago still show, despite hundreds of newly baptized, the same number of members. Daniel Liechti believes that these believers have not deserted the churches, they simply changed their name. It is a view widespread in the churches and that only explains part of the phenomenon.
Official data come from relatively low mobilities charismatics and even opposed to the gifts of the Spirit. However, charismatic and Pentecostal experience, as we have said, the strongest growth rates. Is it possible that some independent groups (who are legion in the charismatic movement) have escaped the statistics?
Finally, the explosion of immigration in recent years incrontrôlée profoundly changes the side "preppy" evangelicals in France. As proof, the 2005 Paris edition of the March For Jesus whose manager told us that she was "80% Afro-Caribbean." Like the French official statistics "forget" a large percentage of foreigners (very high birth rate, illegal, family reunion, difficulties in establishing the identity of some, etc..), It is possible that a significant number of believers of foreign origin is not recorded in the data reported.
If it seems obvious that all these elements, placed end to end, add to the difficulty of assessing a responsible way the number of evangelicals in France, and without question the outstanding quality of work of Daniel Liechti and Sébastien Fath, it should still seriously consider the assessment of Peter Lefèbvre. Sébastien Fath himself, a little later in his book From the ghetto to the network (page 250) admits that it would revise upward its own figures, then move to the assumption of 500,000 evangelicals. Pierre-Patrick "PPK" Kaltenbach, reformed, a great defender of the evangelical faith and Honorary Advisor master to the Court of Auditors, goes further and announced Dec. 6 on France-Culture "more than 600,000 evangelicals in France."
We will do our conclusion in the appeal of "troublemaker PPK" which calls for a debate on the role of Evangelicals and the Reformation in France. On this day of celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Act of 1905, this appeal will be heard there?
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