A light to all nations? : assessing the missional strength and commitment of international churches in Europe

3.6 MB·English

by  Carlson, William James

A LIGHT TO ALL NATIONS?
ASSESSING THE MISSIONAL STRENGTH AND COMMITMENT OF INTERNATIONAL
CHURCHES IN EUROPE

A THESIS-PROJECT
SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF
GORDON-CONWELL THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS
FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF MINISTRY

BY
JAMES WILLIAM CARLSON
JANUARY 2019
Copyright ©2019 by James William Carlson. All Rights Reserved.
To Kathy,
my wife, partner and friend,
who has continued to encourage and support my ministry and work
and has literally followed me around the world.
Thank you!
CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS v
ABSTRACT vi
Chapter
1. THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING 1
2. THEOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK 17
3. LITERATURE REVIEW 39
4. PROJECT DESIGN 120
5. OUTCOMES 141
Appendix
A. THE BRUSSELS STATEMENT 200
B. INFORMED CONSENT DOCUMENT 202
C. PDF COPY OF SURVEY DISTRIBUTED THROUGH “SURVEYMONKEY” 207
D. LIST OF INTERNATIONAL CHURCHES RESPONDING TO SURVEY 214
E. INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN COMMUNITIES EURASIA LIST OF CHURCHES 219
F. MEMBER CHURCHES OF THE AICEME 221
G. INTERNATIONAL CHURCH GROUPS 223
BIBLIOGRAPHY 224
VITA 228
iv
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I am deeply grateful to my mission, ReachGlobal, for having life-long learning as
part of their values. They read about my project and encouraged me to proceed with
my studies. When my wife became ill and I needed to stop my studies, they did not
push me, but let me take care of the most important issue in my life, my wife’s health.
I am also grateful to two international church groups that are in Europe. The
first of these is the International Christian Community of Eurasia, ICC Eurasia. This group
was the brain child of Colonel Dan Painter and it was my pleasure to be asked to help in
the launching of this group. Today, this group is led by the Euroteam, of which I am still
a member. I am grateful to the Euroteam who has been encouraging me along the way
and has been enthused about my thesis project, realizing the importance it could have
for the future of ICC Eurasia and other international churches. Thank you, Dan, James,
Mike, Steve, Mike and the other ICC Eurasia affiliated pastors.
I am also grateful for the group, AICEME (Association of International Churches
of Europe and the Middle East) who welcomed me into their annual conference and for
all those who filled out my international church survey. Thank you, Ross, Emily,
Matthew, Dennis, Scott, Carrie, Doug, Jodi, Murray, and so many others! May our
friendship continue!

v
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this thesis project was to show that international churches,
specifically in Europe, but applicable around the world, could be a valuable asset in
fulfilling the Great Commission and that they should no longer be seen as “country club”
type churches only for expatriates.
This thesis project includes an in-depth study of all the literature dealing with
international churches. Also included is a survey that was created and distributed to
international church pastors, which deals with the main difficulties and challenges facing
international churches.
A secondary finding of this thesis project is that the researcher was able to more
fully define what an international church really is and what makes it different from other
churches. The researcher also distinguishes the difference between international
churches and multicultural / multi-ethnic churches.
In the appendix of this thesis project one will find several listings of international
church groups. It is the desire of the researcher that all of the different groups that are
involved with international church ministry in Europe will come together at some time
in the near future to create one complete database accurately indicating the locations of
international churches.
vi
CHAPTER ONE
THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING

From France to Congo to France
In December 1990, my wife and I were in Aix-en-Provence, France. We were
there to continue our studies of the French language before going to Congo to minister
with ReachGlobal the international mission of the Evangelical Free Church of America.1
We had just finished a one-year program of French studies in Albertville, France. In Aix-
en-Provence, we were continuing with a six-month university program of French studies
for foreigners at the University of Aix-Marseille, with the goal of earning an
internationally accepted French language certificate. In addition, we were auditing a
class at the local Evangelical Reformed Seminary.
The demands of our full-time French classes did not leave us with much free
time. We managed to spend Sundays attending the local French-speaking “Evangelical
Free Church” where we got to know fellow believers. Still, I was focused on leaving
France, with all of its attitudes about its language, “the most beautiful language on the
earth” because I wanted to get to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The months spent in France studying the language were a mixed bag. It was a
mixed bag because France is a very beautiful country, full of wonderful things to see and
enjoy, and it has a cuisine that was absolutely marvelous! Yet, at the same time, the

1 Visit http://go.efca.org/ministries/reachglobal for information on ReachGlobal, the international mission
of the Evangelical Free Church of America.
1
French language that so many believed was the “most beautiful language on earth”
proved to be an unforgiving language to learn. Mistakes and mispronunciations are
guaranteed to occur. For instance, when a foreign student of the French language goes
to a Frenchman and asks a simple question like, “Where are the toilets?” they will often
be corrected in their pronunciation before they get the answer to their question.
As another example, I came to study French as an experienced pastor and
teacher, and I knew how to speak and teach, but when I first tried speaking French, I
was treated in a condescending manner, making me feel that the other person did not
think I was worth their time or effort. While I admit that this can be good for one’s
spiritual humility, it can be a drain on one’s self-image if it continues for an extended
period of time.
In December 1990, some friends invited us to attend a “Traditional English
Christmas Carol Celebration.” They told us to arrive early because the church would be
full. Indeed, that afternoon the church was completely packed with people standing
along the back and the sides of the church as we joyfully sang traditional Christmas
Carols in English.
In January 1991, we left France and arrived in Congo. During the next few years,
I split my time between teaching at a Bible school and teaching English at the local
public high school. As a result, I found myself speaking three distinct languages on a
daily basis. I spoke Lingala, the trade language in the Ubangi area of Congo, when I was
teaching in the Bible School, and I spoke French when I was teaching English in the
public high school. Surprisingly, speaking three languages every day (English, Lingala
2
and French) was not as hard, nor as stressful, as some might think.
During the years that followed, we frequently traveled to Bangui, the capital of
the Republic of Central Africa, to assist our mission office. Our responsibilities in Bangui
included meeting with political officials to discuss visas, import taxes and shipments.
They also included meeting with merchants to purchase supplies for our personnel in
Congo. Of course, all of these meetings were conducted in French.
Although the stress of learning the French language was no longer a problem,
new situations demanded our time and energy. In the midst of continuing our official
responsibilities, we were evacuated because of a political uprising. On two occasions,
we had to flee our home due to the invasion of army ants. It was also during this time
that we welcomed our two children into our lives.
As months and years went by, we came to the realization that our future was not
in Congo, but that it would be somewhere else. So, not having a clear direction as to
where our future might be, we asked the mission leadership to find us a new place to
minister. They chose France!
In January 1996, we arrived back in Aix-en-Provence, France, where I began
ministering as the associate pastor of the French-speaking Evangelical Free Church.
French was still a challenge, but it was easier than it had been. I noticed that my
attitude had changed during the previous five years as God had placed a true love for
the French people in my heart and, along with my wife, we really loved being in France
and ministering to the French.
During this time, we became acquainted with the people who ran the annual
3
“Traditional English Christmas Carol Celebration” in Aix-en-Provence. In 1998, two
events occurred that increased my interest in English-speaking ministries in France.
First, Dan and Nancy Painter arrived. Dan was a retired US Army Colonel who had spent
over ten years as a military attaché in European capital cities. During their assignments,
Dan and Nancy were instrumental in opening several international churches. They had
come to Aix-en-Provence to develop the “Traditional English Christmas Carol
Celebration” into an international church. Shortly after their arrival, the “International
Christian Community of Provence” (ICCP) was created.2 An invitation by the caroling
committee to lead the service marked the second event in 1998. By 1998, the carol
service had switched locations to the Catholic Cathedral of Aix-en-Provence to provide
more room for those who attended, and over one thousand people came to sing carols
that year!
During the summer of 2000, our family moved to Saint Genis Laval, a suburb in
the southwest part of Lyon, France, where I became the head pastor of the French-
speaking “Evangelical Free Church.” For the next four years, our family ministered in
this church, and the church did well, growing spiritually and numerically. In the spring of
2004, I resigned, paving the way for the church to hire their first French pastor.
During the following academic year, I focused on conducting a religious
demographic study of the greater Lyon area with the help of a short-term young woman
who was helping us for the year. This study showed the tremendous spiritual need that
existed (and still exists) in Lyon with less than 0.5% of the total population being

2 Visit www.iccpaix.org for more information about the International Christian Community of Provence.
4