Part 3 - What Do We Need? - What Exactly Are the Procopios Doing, Anyway?

This is part 3 of a series. Here is where you can read part 1 and part 2.

3) What Do We Need?

This last question is the most down-to-earth. For right now, Loanne and I are both working part-time in order to pay for living expenses, which are very high in France even if one lives conservatively. As a result, the preparatory work for our future plant is quite limited; there simply are not enough days in the week to follow the training and do what is necessary to get ready to plant. (This work would include visiting cities which could be potential sites for the plant; doing research on the city and its residents once we decide where to go; spending time with the residents in order to get to know the context in which we'll plant; finding a building to house the church, etc.)

This is why as soon as possible, Loanne and I will need to leave our jobs in order to devote ourselves full-time to the preparation of this church plant. This means, of course, that we will need to find financial support elsewhere.

And that is where you come in.

We are actively looking for generous Christians from all over the United States to support us financially in our work in France. We would ask you to prayerfully consider a one-time or regular donation, which would enable us to commit all of our time and energy to planting churches which will bring the light of the Gospel to those who have not yet had the opportunity to hear it. 

We cannot do this alone, nor should we. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that as a matter of fairness your abundance at the present time should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply your need" (2 Cor. 8.13-14). As part of the larger Body of Christ, we are called upon to take from our abundance to support and sustain each other; as we hope to do for others, we would ask you to consider doing for us. 

We are currently looking for a secure system in which those who wish to do so can give. We will be posting regularly on our activity in France, how the internship is progressing, and so on; if you feel led to support us, don't hesitate to contact us at theprocopiosinfrance@gmail.com.

Part 2: The Internship - What Exactly Are the Procopios Doing, Anyway?

This is part 2 of a 3-part series. For part 1, click here.

2) What Does the Internship Entail, and What Are Its Future Goals?

This is the second question I'm asked. The internship began in October; since then, what have we been doing, and what will we do in the future?

In July 2012 I was contacted by Acts 29 Europe pastor Philip Moore to join him in a new Centre de formation régional des implanteurs (CFRI), a training center for hopeful church planters in France. The goal of this 2-year training is to equip these future planters with the resources they will need not only to plant a Gospel-centered church, but to do so in a way that is contextualized to the country of France and to the particular area in which the planters find themselves. This training takes place in Lagny-sur-Marne, a town about 25 minutes east of Paris.

The CFRI is tightly linked with a project, “Une pour dix mille”, led by the CNEF (Centre national des évangéliques de France, France’s association of evangelical churches); this project would be called “One For Ten Thousand” in English.

The goal of this project is very simple: reduce the huge gap between the number of churches in France and the French population by planting one church for every ten thousand people living here (see previous post for information on the current numbers). It is an ambitious project which will require a large amount of work, time, and—of course—couples to plant churches.

At the beginning of 2012 the church in Lagny-sur-Marne launched a church plant in nearby Val d'Europe, a relatively new city that as yet had not a single evangelical church. This new church now runs between 30 and 40 people at the Sunday services held once a month, all crammed into a member's living room. We are actively searching for a larger location in the city center, which will allow us to have more frequent services and welcome more newcomers from the town. In addition, we run regular home groups which meet twice a month or more, during which we study the Bible and learn to live out the Gospel in the context of everyday life. 

So the first step is following the training at the CFRI in Lagny-sur-Marne, which consists of a half-day per week of face-to-face training with four other future planters, as well as active "on-the-ground" work in the church plant in Val d'Europe. Loanne and I are both active in separate home groups, one of which is an English-speaking group which I co-lead. The objective is to see firsthand what a church plant entails in France—its challenges, its legal boundaries (the laws in France for religious associations are particularly strict) and, of course, the possible fruit we pray it will bear. 

Our hope is that, Lord willing, we will begin a church plant of our own soon after the training is over, in a city still to be determined. But in order to even begin to think about that, we must raise support...

What Exactly Are the Procopios Doing, Anyway? - Part 1: Why Plant In France?

In my post from a few months ago, I announced that Loanne, Jack and I had accepted a call to participate in a church-planting internship with Acts 29 Europe pastor Philip Moore. I promised I would tell you all what exactly we're doing here, so for the next few days I'll be posting a few blogs that will fill you in on the details.

I'll do this by answering some common questions. Some of these have been about what we've had to sacrifice to come here. I answered these questions in a post this past December; for the purposes of this post I'll just say that if we look at the facts, it could seem like we have sacrificed a lot, but that God has been so present in our situation that it doesn't feel like much of a sacrifice. God asks us to sacrifice in order to fill us up with better things (Rom. 8.28), and even in our moments of difficulty we have been aware of the promise and presence of those better things.

But of all the questions we've been asked since moving, the three most pertinent ones have been:

1) Why plant in France?

2) What does the internship entail, and what are its future goals?

3) What do you need?

I'll dedicate one post to each question.

1) Why Plant in France?

On the surface, it could seem like France isn't a very logical place for missionary work. France is not in the  so-called 10/40 Window. France is a wealthy country. We have the Internet. We drive cars (yes, someone did once ask Loanne that question). It is fairly easy to live a comfortable life here. Christians are not openly persecuted in France. So why would such an initiative be necessary?

It is important to know a few facts. France's history is long, and has pushed the country to a very secular mindset—a mindset that the French culture as a whole prides itself on. This is understandable, since keeping the country secular seems to free it from the sort of religious wars and persecutions its history has witnessed. But the result is that often, people are either wary or indifferent, not necessarily to the Gospel (as we'll see in a second), but to the church which was called to proclaim it. Because of this, evangelical churches have had a hard time putting down roots. 

Today, of France's 65 million people, less than 1% can be counted as followers of Christ. On average, there is 1 evangelical church for every 32,000 persons in France. Less than 10% of the French population own a Bible, and 80% have never even handled one.*

But glory to God, Christians in France have not been inactive. Since 1970, over 1,400 new evangelical churches have been planted and established in France; the total number of credible evangelical churches in France today stands at 2,308. This is certainly a good thing: outposts for the Gospel have been created to bring a credible witness to areas which didn't have them before. 

However, in order for the current French population to have reasonable access to the Gospel, another 4,192 churches would need to be planted...today.

This means that in many towns in France, there is not a single credible witness to the Gospel of Christ. When people think of Christ they often think of the pale, skinny guy on crosses in cathedrals; they think of morbid images of self-flagellation and depressing liturgies. Most of them certainly don't think of the true, biblical Gospel of Christ, because they've never heard it. Contrary to popular belief, the French are not indifferent to the Gospel; most of them simply haven't had the opportunity to hear it faithfully preached. 

What is more, if they wanted to hear the Gospel and have access to a Gospel-centered community of believers, many of them would be unable to, because there are simply no churches in their area. 

The need in France is very great. There are many other issues at stake than just the ones I've mentioned, but these will have to suffice for today. Our challenges are different from those one may hear of in missions conferences, but no less real. That is why we are planting in France. That is why it is a real and pressing need. 

* This post's stats have been borrowed from the CNEF (Conseil national des évangéliques de France) and Acts 29 Europe. Map adapted from www.1pour10000.fr/la-carte.

I Can Forget My Lines

I've got a pretty good memory. It's something I've always prided myself on, mostly because I've always been so forgetful.

You can say something to me, I'll have forgotten what you just said thirty seconds later (just ask my wife). Every time I go to the store with a grocery list, I invariably forget to buy at least one of the items listed. But as a teenager I could tell you, with no hesitation, useless information about movies (like which directors of photography Steven Spielberg had worked with on which films) and books (like the titles of every novel by Stephen King, and their years of publication). Practical, down-to-earth things slip my mind; but words, anything I can see on a page or hear repeated aloud, stick well.

So when I became a Christian, I was pleased to find that Bible memorization came easily to me. One year I memorized a passage a week; the next year I memorized Philippians and 1 John (the entire books). When I became convinced God was calling me to the ministry, I knew it would come in very handy.

Flash-forward to two weeks ago. As it was a very snowy Sunday, there were only about 20 of us in the congregation. Our pastor, Philip Moore, asked us what we could do to practically remember that God was with us every minute. One guy said admire His creation; another person said meditate on His Word. My answer seemed obvious: memorize Scripture, to be able to take that Word with us.

Not missing a beat, Philip asked, "Do you do that?" To which I proudly responded in the affirmative. He asked, "What was the latest passage you memorized?"

Suddenly I couldn't quite recall, so I latched onto the biggest one: "Philippians," I said, neglecting to add chapter and verse.

Philip said, "Okay, let's hear it."

And suddenly, I pulled a complete blank. I knew it started with Paul introducing himself, but I couldn't quite remember the words. I blubbered something like, "Paul, servant of Christ Jesus..." and couldn't get any farther.

You have to understand, I'm new at this church. I'm going through a church planting internship, and as it's the first time I've ever truly been in my element, I want to impress. I want these people to know they're not wasting their time with me; I want them to know I'm not wasting my time moving all the way over here to do this.

So after blubbering for a few seconds, I admitted I couldn't remember any more, and hunched down in my chair. I wanted to be a turtle who could just sink its head back into its shell.

But right on the heels of that embarrassment, I felt God speaking very clearly to me: Why are you embarrassed? Why do you want them to be impressed by you? Shouldn't it be enough that they're impressed with ME?

This is the simplest example of the sort of pride-leading-to-a-fall that could await me as a church planter if I let it take root. Because no matter how hard it is for my sinful nature to admit, the day I, Lord willing, finally plant a church, it won't be my church. When I perform any type of mininstry in the church, it's not my ministry. When I successfully manage to say something helpful to someone in need, it's not my success. It's God's success; it's His ministry; it's His church.
Paul said (in my precious, memorized book of Philippians), "Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but...Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant..." (Phil. 2.3, 5)

No one is going to remember my skills at memorizing Scripture if I don't use it to serve them. Even if I were able to recite the entire Bible by heart, it would have no lasting impact if it isn't coupled with an all-consuming desire to see God glorified in everything I do. "But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord" (Phil. 3.7-8). And as we have seen, Christ is remembered not for His miracles, not for His oratory presence, but for His service; for His emptying of Himself; for His bearing on Himself the weight of all our sins; for His all-consuming desire to see His Father glorified.

What I am doesn't matter. What people think I am doesn't matter. God knows who I am: His adopted son, bought by the blood of Christ, who suffered all the wrath I deserve for my sin. He called me long before I was equipped to do anything useful; whom God calls, He equips...not the other way around.

Before long, the embarrassment faded---because how could I, an adopted son of the Creator of the universe, be embarrassed while I'm wearing royal robes? How could I be embarrassed when my own perfection and performance don't matter the slightest bit, but only Christ's? How could I be embarrassed when His perfection and performance have already been credited to my account (2 Cor. 5.21)?

Good news: I can forget my lines. He's already recited them for me.