Living for the Church: Missionary Work in France

Every part of Jennifer’s story is intricately tied to the church. Read how the church, local and global, is woven throughout her missionary story, from the U.S. to France.

“I’m convinced that’s what God made me for. I was made for the church. I was made to help build the church. I was made to help build up the church. This is why I exist. Everything is about the church for me. That’s the thing that matters most to me; the church.”

Every part of Jennifer’s story is intricately tied to the church. Supporting and building up the local church has been her vision since the day she first started following Christ as a teenager. But that has looked different throughout each part of her life so far.

How it all began

In her 20s, Jennifer moved states to pursue a career in cancer research. As soon as she moved, she began to look for a church. After visiting a new church plant on that very first Sunday, Jennifer went to the front and asked how she could be involved. Soon, she was starting a prayer group, organizing a hospitality ministry, starting up a women’s Bible study, and helping in any other way that she could.

However, after four years there, she knew that the Lord was calling her to do something more. Eventually, she discerned that the Lord was calling her to missions.

Her first step was to seek the guidance of her pastor and her church. They began to pray with her and encourage her in this calling. Then the Lord began to line up people and circumstances as He led her to TEAM, pursing missionary work in France. She states, “TEAM’s focus on the local church is what attracted me…”.

Finally, four years later, the funds were raised. The visa was ready. The car was sold and the suitcases were packed.

Jennifer was on her way to France.

A new call to the church in France

Her time in the country began with two years of language school and then a full-time ministry internship. But even in her time of preparation, Jennifer focused on the church. She heard the Gospel of Jesus preached faithfully. She taught Sunday School to five-year-olds, and she developed relationships with those in the church.

Once her training was over, God orchestrated an encounter that shaped the direction of her ministry. She recalls, “I showed up at church one day and my pastor wasn’t there. There was a guest pastor preaching. And guess what? He just preached the most beautiful, clear Gospel message ever.” She went up to him after the service, introduced herself, and discovered that he was just starting a church plant in Paris. That church plant was where she spent the next eight years. However, she adds, “We’re not necessarily planting churches the way TEAM was in 1970. We’re coming alongside local believers and helping them establish healthy churches and grow disciples.”

Missionary work in France

Although many of Jennifer’s tasks with the church were practical, such as sending hundreds of emails organizing church volunteers, other tasks were precious, such as the privilege of reading the Bible with some of the young girls at the church. She shares, “It started as me wanting to read the Bible with them. Over the years, I’ve just watched some of them grow up and grow in their ministry and their love for the Lord and their love for His Word. And it turned into them leading Bible studies with their friends…”. She was also able to disciple a young teenager at a church summer camp and watch as this teen professed Christ as her Savior.

As Jennifer looks back over those years, she sums up her missionary work in France like this: “I’m either praying, I’m talking with people, I’m building relationships, I’m specifically sharing the Gospel with people, I’m inviting people to read the Bible, I’m going to meetings, I’m going to Bible studies, I’m planning conferences, I’m serving food, I’m cooking food, or I’m delivering food.”

“I am praying more and more that God will help me to be content and to trust Him deeper when I ‘just’ get to plant or water or till…. Planting and watering and tilling is just as important as being the person who reaps the harvest.”

Her work was constant, and not always what some might define as “mission work.” But Jennifer understands that there is far more to ministry than just being the person who “reaps the harvest.” She says, “Sometimes we plant a seed or sometimes we water it or sometimes we till the soil. I am praying more and more that God will help me to be content and to trust Him deeper when I ‘just’ get to plant or water or till…. Planting and watering and tilling is just as important as being the person who reaps the harvest.”

Listening for God’s next calling

After eight years with the church plant, Jennifer began to sense the Lord’s calling yet again. She knew it was time to move on. The church was growing and healthy and in the hands of local believers. She comments, “God didn’t call me to relocate to France. He called me to help plant a church. And it’s done now.”

As Jennifer moves into what the Lord has next for her, she knows that the church is still an important part of her calling. This sense of clear direction goes all the way back to her initial understanding of church when she was just a teenager. She says, “It’s just a conviction that the Lord put in me that it’s very clear that His mission is to reach everyone with His Gospel…. And for me, it’s very clear that His chosen vehicle to do that is the Church.”

Mission is not just something the Church does—it’s who the Church is. We are a sent people, participating with a sending God. Is the Lord calling you to partner with the global church to reach people with the love of Jesus? Explore missions opportunities with TEAM.

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