Faculté Jean Calvin Update

Thank you very much for your continued and gracious support for the Faculté Jean Calvin in Aix-en-Provence through The Huguenot Fellowship.  It is loving support like yours that sustains FJC, its faculty and students, and by extension the furtherance of the Gospel in the French-speaking world.

Regarding FJC, we are pleased to report that there are presently about 75 students in the Bachelor/Master of Divinity program, i.e., the first 3 years of theological studies.  Of these nearly 90% are in the distance learning program, attending courses remotely.  In this regard FJC is making very good use of modern computer and internet technology.  While FJC would naturally prefer that all students study "in person," that is not possible for many of them, and we have observed that such distance learning can be very effective.  This is especially true when the students are highly motivated like those at FJC.

 In addition, FJC presently has 40 students in its formal Master/Master of Divinity program, i.e., years 4 and 5 of theological studies.  Most of them are "on campus" students, meaning that they come to Aix-en-Provence for 5 intensive sessions at FJC every year.  FJC is also very pleased to have 5 Ph.D. students at this time.

 Moreover, FJC presently has approximately 60 "à la carte" students, students who take one or more particular courses without entering into a degree program.  In fact, FJC has partnerships in French-speaking Africa where about 20 students follow FJC courses.

 It may interest you to know that the on-campus students are typically younger, ranging from 18 to 30 years of age, while the other groups of students tend to fall in the 25 - 50 age bracket.

 We also want you to know where and how FJC students enter into ministry.  After their studies, graduates from Faculté Jean Calvin pursue a diversity of callings. At least half are called to pastor a church, serving churches from the whole evangelical spectrum. In doing so, they serve the Body of Christ and not just one denomination. Most of them serve in France because the need is very great. In fact, the National Council of French Evangelicals calls for 1000 pastors to be trained in the next 10 years... and only to replace pastors retiring.

 Our FJC graduates are also very passionate about church planting and renewal. They also put in practice their apologetic skills (apologetics is a distinct feature of Faculté Jean Calvin). Some graduates have been called by the Lord to serve in positions of great responsibility in the French evangelical world. They also serve evangelical ministries in publishing, Christian education, emergency relief, and many other evangelical non-governmental organizations. More importantly, they are all involved in their local churches and participate in God's mission to proclaim the gospel of Christ to the ends of the earth.

 We thank you for your interest and your continued support.  If you should have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask. (hello@huguenotfellowship.org)

 Most sincerely in Christ,

 Brian Wunder
Donor Relations Committee
The Huguenot Fellowship

Year-end Stock Giving

Year-end is fast approaching!

The S&P 500 is up nearly 30% from a year ago, representing a significant gain in many portfolios. If you are an investor, please consider giving a gift of stock to the Huguenot Fellowship. By donating appreciated securities, you avoid paying tax on associated unrealized capital gains—more money for advancing the kingdom of Christ in the French-speaking world!

If you prefer, you can use a donor-advised fund for making a stock donation.

If you would like to donate stock, download our stock donation form by clicking here.

Thank you!

We Value Your Feedback

We Value Your Feedback

As we celebrate Advent and the birth of Christ, we reflect on the incredible work God is doing through Huguenot Fellowship. Together, we are equipping future ministers, missionaries, and lay-workers at the Faculté Jean Calvin Seminary to spread the gospel across the French-speaking world.

To continue this mission, we need your input. Our board is eager to hear how we can better serve and communicate with you. Your feedback will help shape our plans for the future.

Please take a short survey and share your thoughts. The board will review the results before Christmas, so we ask for your responses by December 20.

Click here to take the survey: huguenotfellowship.org/survey

Thank you for being a part of our community in this important work.

Blessings,

The Huguenot Fellowship Team

Simultaneous Training

I am a second-cycle student in the “professional” track at the Faculté Jean Calvin (FJC) and a pastoral intern at the Evangelical Reformed Church of Lyon-Gerland. I have been studying at the FJC for 7 years now, since I also did the first cycle remotely in 6 years. I would like to share with you a few words about the influence that the FJC has had, and continues to have, in my life and ministry.

(1) Simultaneous field/theological training:

"One cannot […] expect an institute to provide all the training required for a pastor […], especially in terms of character, convictions and practical skills. The bulk of this work should be provided "on the field", at the heart of the life of the local Church. The ideal would be a harmonious collaboration, hand in hand, between the training centers […] and the Churches, but it is not always possible to conduct these two types of training simultaneously." (C. Marshall & T. Payne, The Essentials in the Church, p.27)

With the programs offered by the FJC, this harmonious collaboration is possible and has been very useful to me. I can't imagine everything I would have missed, or taken longer to learn, without the 6 years of internship that I was able to do alongside my studies and I can't imagine everything I would have missed without the theological training.

I was also able to have a family life without too much difficulty even if my family had to make some sacrifices. I would like to thank my wife Noémie for all her support. The autonomy in studies makes the training at the FJC compatible with the birth of children and the needs of a family.

(2) The tools given by the studies at the FJC for the ministry:

The studies are intense, we don't necessarily manage to integrate everything we learn. But we discover methodological tools, we build up a bank of resources, we learn to know where and how to look for the information we need, we learn to write.

This is extremely valuable for the future, especially for the ministry. I cannot count the number of times that, in the context of my service for the Church, I return to my courses, I resume a required reading that I had perhaps skimmed, I re-listen to courses and I apply working methods learned here.

(3) Affirmation of convictions through theological study:

I arrived at the FJC somewhat by chance, because the programs offered corresponded to my schedule and my budget at the time. At first, theological studies have a destabilizing side: we are confronted with traditions different from ours, with other positions on the theological level. This calls into question many personal convictions inherited from the environment in which we had been walking until then. But it is really for the best. My evangelical theological convictions have been strongly strengthened. I have gained confidence in the face of liberalism. I understand better the blind spots that we can have because of our theological heritage. The professors are always there to accompany us in this spiritual journey that is sometimes difficult to live.

I can only note that my love for God my creator and my redeemer, for his word, the most holy rule of life and faith, and for his Church, the people he constitutes and whom he calls me to serve, has only grown.

Thanks to the sound doctrine that I have been taught here, I have an immense desire and joy to proclaim the Gospel of Christ, my faithful savior who has totally paid for all my sins and who has delivered me from all the power of the Devil by his precious blood. My ship has been ballasted so that when I am struck by the waves, I do not capsize but that I arrive at the heavenly port full of faith and overflowing with joy.

I pray therefore that God continues to provide for all the needs of the FJC so that it continues its important ministry of formation and so that it bears fruit in the lives of many other people.

Antoine Fréchet
Student, FJC communications officer

(Translated)

Reclaiming

In partnership with Iain Wright, Pastor in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, Faculté Jean Calvin professor Yannick Imbert has published a new book, Reclaiming  the “Dark Ages”: How the Gospel Light Shone from 500 to 1500.   

Huguenot Fellowship Trustee Ruth Ann Leduc sits down with Imbert and Wright to talk about their book, looking at the Medieval church and what we can learn from ten theologians from this period 500-1500.     

Click here to view this 18-minute discussion. 

Available from:
Christian Focus Publications
Amazon

Yannick Imbert Interview

As the Faculté Jean Calvin approaches its 50th anniversary in September, 2024, Professor of Apologetics Yannick Imbert shares with Ruth Ann Leduc, Huguenot Fellowship Trustee and missionary, some of the strategic changes to the course offerings at the seminary.   The professors have worked over several years to discern how to even better prepare FJC graduates for the needs of pastoral work and the practical realities of this ministry, in addition to the theological rigor of the program.  Listen to this 17-minute interview here.

Carrefour 2024

For over 30 years, Faculté Jean Calvin has hosted the Carrefour – “Intersection” – weekend, which brings together various speakers on a theme for further growth, reflection, and discussion.   The theme for the 2024 Carrefour was “To Live with and Move Beyond Doctrinal Differences”. 

The participants included the President of the French Council of Evangelicals, the Director of the Belgian Bible Institute, a pastor of an Evangelical Reformed Church in Lyon, and the professors of Faculté Jean Calvin.  

The topics that were addressed were:
-       The “hierarchy” of doctrines;
-       The weaknesses of our human interpretations;
-       The role of non-rational factors in the diverse theological landscape;
-       The positive and negative effects of social media on this discussion;
-       The place of Christian liberty in secondary questions;
-       Theological diversity within the French Council of Evangelicals;
-       An attempt at theological reconciliation within a reformed movement of the 16th century.

The desire is to provide some avenues for reflection and application of these varied questions in order to navigate our doctrinal differences with a balanced approach within our Protestant Evangelical context and beyond. 

Below is the French text and links to the different presentations in French on the Faculté Jean Calvin YouTube channel. 

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On pourrait penser que la théologie est une affaire de gens calmes et rationnels tirant des conclusions logiques de textes clairs et cohérents. Comment se fait-il, dans ce cas, que des chrétiens partageant les mêmes convictions sur l’autorité et la clarté de la Bible puissent parvenir à des points de vue aussi différents sur des questions doctrinales ou pratiques ? Comment expliquer qu’à partir des mêmes textes étudiés avec le même respect, ils puissent aboutir à des conclusions aussi différentes concernant, par exemple, le baptême ou les dons spirituels ? Que devrions-nous faire de ces divergences d’opinion en tant que chrétiens soucieux de l’unité de l’Eglise visible ? Sont-elles un obstacle infranchissable ? Toutes les doctrines méritent-elles que l’on se batte jusqu’à la mort pour elles ? Quelle attitude Dieu attend-t-il de nous dans la gestion de ces désaccords ?

C’est à ces questions éminemment pratiques que vont tenter de répondre : Erwan Cloarec, pasteur, président du CNEF James Hely Hutchinson, professeur d’Ancien Testament, de théologie biblique et de langues bibliques, directeur de l’Institut Biblique de Belgique, Alexandre Sarran, pasteur et les professeurs de la FJC.

Ils aborderont les sujets suivants : la hiérarchie des doctrines, la faillibilité de nos interprétations humaines, le rôle des facteurs non rationnels dans la diversité théologique, l’effet amplificateur et enfermant des réseaux sociaux, la liberté chrétienne concernant les questions secondaires, la diversité évangélique au sein du CNEF et un exemple de tentative de conciliation théologique au sein du grand mouvement réformateur du 16e siècle. Ils espèrent donner ainsi quelques pistes de réflexion et d’application pour une manière plus sage et sereine de vivre les désaccords au sein du protestantisme évangélique et au-delà.

Introduction – Jean-Philippe Bru, Doyen et Professeur de Théologie Pratique - "Vous rêvez d'une Église où tout le monde serait d'accord sur tout ? Et bien ça existe et s'appelle une secte..."

C'est avec ces mots que Jean-Philippe Bru, notre doyen, introduit le "Carrefour théologique" 2024 sur les désaccords doctrinaux dans l'Église !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTwdJDn0Gik

Le triage théologique : Quelle hiérarchie dans les domaines doctrinal et éthique ?  James Hely Hutchinson, Directeur de l’Institut Biblique de Bruxelles - Toutes les doctrines théologiques ont-elles la même importance ? Sinon, comment les hiérarchiser ?

C’est à ces questions que James H. Hutchinson, directeur de l’ Institut Biblique de Bruxelles , tente de répondre dans cette conférence. Si le sujet vous intéresse, il a publié un livre chez BLF Éditions portant le titre de « sacrés désaccords ».

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZGzj8owlpk

La Règle de Foi – Pierre-Sovann Chauny – Professeur de Théologie Systématique - Après une première approche de la hiérarchie des doctrines proposée par James Hely Hutchinson, notre professeur de théologie systémique nous propose de considérer la question à partir d’une notion peu connue mais pourtant très ancienne : la règle de foi.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNuQa8oqiEQ

Pourquoi des conclusions différentes malgré la même méthode ?    Gert Kwakkel, Professeur d’Hébreu et d’Ancien Testament - Pourquoi les bibliques parviennent à des conclusions différentes malgré des méthodes d’interprétation similaires ?

C’est une question que vous vous êtes peut-être déjà posée… et notre professeur d’Ancien Testament y répond à partir d’un exemple concret : les lectures baptiste et pédo-baptiste de Jérémie 31.31-34.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E42LwKsplnk  

Le respect des frères en la foi :  réflexions tirées de Romains 14 - Alexandre Sarran, pasteur de l' Église Lyon Gerland - Réformée Évangélique et auteur de "Job, le malheur et la foi" publié chez Publications Chrétiennes, nous propose, avec humour, quelques principes concrets pour bien vivre nos divergences dans l'Église sur la base de Romains 14.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q99S4t2URZA&t=2141s

Vivre et dépasser les désaccords au sein du CNEF - Erwan Cloarec, président du CNEF, nous a donné quelques principes au sujet de la manière dont les désaccords pouvaient se vivre au sein du CNEF compte-tenu de la grande diversité théologique qui s'y retrouve !  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCaQJkwMyf4

La Cène, sacrement de la rupture – Controverses du XVIème siècle - Daniel Bergèse revient aujourd'hui sur un cas d'école des désaccords théologiques, la question de la sainte cène. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly-QeJriMwc

Le rôle des émotions :  Jean-Philippe Bru - Quelle est la place des émotions  dans nos désaccords théologiques ? Jean-Philippe Bru, notre professeur de théologie pratique, répond à cette question en nous disant que, contrairement à ce qu'on voudrait le croire, elle est très importante !    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bktLOBz2VA

Synthèse :  Yannick Imbert - Et concrètement, qu’est-ce qu’on fait ? C’est la question que nous pose Yannick Imbert, notre professeur d’apologétique en guise de conclusion du carrefour théologique 2024. Il nous donne quelques pistes de réponses dans ce dernier replay des plénières !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-vAaaG4UBA