“Send out workers into the harvest field in France!”
“Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”(Matthew 9:38,NIV)
》 Country Profile
Continent | Europe
Population | 69 million
Area | 549,970㎢, Situated in Western Europe, France borders the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
Capital City | Paris (11.14 million people)
People Groups | Total 113 Groups, Europeans 83.5% (French 71.2%, Provençal 4.6%), North Africans/Middle Easterners 9.2%, Africans/Caribbeans 4.0%, Asians 2.0%
Unreached People Groups | 37 (6.5% of the population)
Official Language(s) | French
Total Languages | 90
Bible Translations | Completed 57, New Testament 18, Partial 15
Religion | Christianity 52% (Protestant 2%, Catholic 50%), Non-religious 40%, Muslim 8.6%, Jewish 1%, other 1%, Evangelical 1.2%(840,000 people)
》 About France
The French Reformation developed around Calvinism, with French Protestants known as Huguenots at its core. After Martin Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses, reformist ideas entered France, and John Calvin’s ‘Institutes of the Christian Religion’ became the theological foundation for the Huguenots. The French monarchy and the Roman Catholic Church viewed the Protestant movement as heretical and suppressed it. Following the Affair of the Placards in 1534, persecution intensified, leading Calvin to flee to Geneva. His teachings spread throughout France, resulting in approximately 2 million Protestants by the 1560s. From 1562 to 1598, the Wars of Religion erupted between Catholics and Protestants, marked by multiple massacres. In 1598, Henry IV’s Edict of Nantes granted limited freedom, but Louis XIV later revoked it, leading to renewed persecution. Consequently, about 200,000 Huguenots emigrated to various countries, contributing to economic, cultural, and religious development there. Despite hardships, they maintained rigorous worship practices, turning homes into churches and holding services wherever they went. Today, Huguenot descendants hold annual “Wilderness Worship” services every September to commemorate their history.
France is one of the world’s leading economies, with socialized policies resulting in robust public services and infrastructure. The economy has balanced development across manufacturing, agriculture, and services, with many large companies partially or fully privatized. The government maintains a strong presence in sectors like electricity, public transportation, and defense. France is the most visited country globally, attracting approximately 89 million foreign tourists in 2017. The government is committed to capitalism that maintains social equality through laws, tax policies, and social spending to mitigate economic inequality. However, since 2020, France has experienced its worst economic crisis since World War II due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to increased unemployment. The crisis highlighted the country’s excessive dependence on foreign sources for key industries and a lack of domestic manufacturing. The government plans to strengthen self-sufficiency in medical, health, and manufacturing sectors and expand domestic infrastructure development.
France’s GDP per capita is approximately $46,184.
》 Scripture Focus
| Matthew 9:11-13, 35-38(NIV) 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” 13 “But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” 35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.” 38 “Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” |
》 Prayer Points
1. French Protestantism was built on the legacy of the Huguenot martyrs, but many believers have become nominal, influenced by secularism and humanism. Protestants make up about 2% of the total population, and evangelicals only 1.2%. Less than 8% of them attend church services regularly. Still, signs of growth are emerging. According to the 2023 report by the French National Council of Evangelicals (CNEF), the number of evangelical believers reached around 745,000 — an increase of about 15% since 2017. The number of evangelical churches also grew by 17% to about 2,700. Even now, Protestantism is often seen by French society as a foreign ideology tied to immigrants or American conservatives. Negative bias and hostility toward organized religion still exist. Let us pray that churches in France hold firmly to the truth of the gospel, boldly proclaim it, and rise up as gospel workers who lead hurting and thirsty souls to Jesus, the true Shepherd.
2. Many people in France have never really heard the gospel. Some foreign missionaries gave up due to discouragement and lack of fruit, and there are too few French full-time workers. But after the COVID-19 pandemic, spiritual hunger has deepened, and online worship and Bible study groups have become more active. Mission to immigrant communities has also become a key and strategic part of evangelization in France. Various mission organizations and denominational partnerships — such as Youth With a Mission (YWAM), Assemblies of God (AoG), SIM, and WEC — are working together. Let us pray for faithful workers who will serve this spiritually dry land with the Word and prayer. Let us pray that the French church will be filled with the Holy Spirit and the power of the gospel, and that it will catch a vision to evangelize both its own nation and the nations by sending out missionaries.
3. For most French people, the Bible is unfamiliar. Fewer than 10% of the population own a Bible, and 80% have never touched one. Since the French Revolution, the separation of church and state and the rise of secularism have pushed religious texts like the Bible out of public education and daily life. Still, organizations like the French Bible Society, the Geneva Bible Society, Biblica, and the Gideons print and distribute hundreds of thousands of Bibles each year. Local churches are also running various programs to help people read and understand the Bible. The souls of France are wandering like sheep without a shepherd, not knowing the answer to life. Let us pray that the Word of God will be proclaimed throughout this land — that through churches where truth becomes life, the glory of Christ, who reigns through His truth, will shine across all of France.
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