Reformed Church of France
Encyclopedia
The Reformed Church of France is a denomination
in France
with Calvinist
origins. It is the original and largest Protestant denomination
in France.
The church is a member of the Protestant Federation of France
(Fédération protestante de France), the World Communion of Reformed Churches
and the World Council of Churches
.
The church has approximately 300,000 members, distributed in a somewhat unequal fashion throughout French metropolitan territory with the exception of Alsace-Moselle and the Pays de Montbéliard. The church consists of 400 parishes, organised in 50 presbyteries (consistoires) and eight administrative regions.
in the 16th century, the reformed Churches
were organised unofficially and, by force of circumstance, clandestinely. The first national synod of the Reformed Churches was held in 1559; their first formal confession of faith (The La Rochelle
confession) was composed in 1571. Recognised and restricted by the Edict of Nantes
in 1598, the last official synod met in 1659; subsequently, the churches were suppressed by the 1685 Edict of Fontainebleau
, which revoked Edict of Nantes.
The revocation of the Edict of Nantes began a period of systematic state persecution (known as the Desert (in French
, Désert), an allusion to the sufferings of the Hebrews when they wandered in the wilderness following the flight from Egypt) coupled with mass emigration
to other European countries, North America and South Africa (les pays de Refuge). In 1787, the Edict of Versailles
, issued by King Louis XVI of France, ended most legal discrimination against non-Roman Catholics – including Huguenots. In 1802, the church was recognised in accordance with the Organic Articles
(les Articles organiques) which followed Napoleon Bonaparte's concordat
with the Roman Catholic Church
. This permitted a local and non-national organisation of the church, which did not reflect the traditional organisation, (synods, participation of lay members in the pastoral organisation of the Church etc.)
In the 19th century, the Awakening (le Réveil) and other religious movements influenced French and European Protestantism; this was also accompanied by division within French Protestantism. At the time of the promulgation of the Separation of Church and State in 1905, there were no less than four groupings of the Reformed Church: the Evangelical Reformed Churches (les Églises réformées évangéliques), the United Reformed Churches (les Églises réformées unies), the Free Reformed Churches (les Églises réformées libres) and the Methodist Church (l'Église méthodiste).
), allowed for a partial restoration of a national grouping: the Reformed Church of France (L’Eglise Réformée de France, ÉRF). This grouping is the largest of the four French Protestant groupings and is in full communion with the other three (which are also members of the World Council of Churches
): the Evangelical Lutheran Church of France (l'Église évangélique luthérienne de France) and the two Protestant churches of Alsace-Lorraine.
held 1872-1873 was the first national synod
held in 213 years. The General Synod arrived at a new confession of faith, the main principles of which were rejected by an important minority. The 'official' practice of the reformed faith in France distanced itself from stricter Calvinist interpretations. The current Reformed Church adopted liberal currents in reformist theology including, pietism
, neo-Lutheranism
, Methodism
, social Christianity etc. The opportunities, substance and limits of theological pluralism are set out in the 1936 Declaration of Faith (which is read at the opening of all synods, adherence to which is required of all pastors licensed to preach and the laity who express membership of the Reformed church)
, composed mainly of representatives from each of the eight administrative regions with equal numbers of clergy and laity in attendance. The president of the National Council (Conseil national) is elected every three years by the Synod. The current president is pastor Marcel Manoël
.
(Fédération protestante de France)
In 2005, Pope Benedict sent a message to the national synod of the Reformed Church of France, which thanked the Pontiff for this "gesture of consideration".
(Société des missions évangéliques de Paris)
Until recently, the Huguenot cross
was not an official symbol of the Reformed Church of France, rather it has served as a sign of popular recognition. The official logo of the former reformed churches is the "burning bush
". The new logo of the Reformed Church of France is a stylised representation of the burning bush with the Huguenot cross as an insert, and the Latin phrase Flagror Non Consumor (I am burned, I am not consumed) taken from Exodus 3:2b - ...and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.
Religious denomination
A religious denomination is a subgroup within a religion that operates under a common name, tradition, and identity.The term describes various Christian denominations...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
with Calvinist
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
origins. It is the original and largest Protestant denomination
Christian denomination
A Christian denomination is an identifiable religious body under a common name, structure, and doctrine within Christianity. In the Orthodox tradition, Churches are divided often along ethnic and linguistic lines, into separate churches and traditions. Technically, divisions between one group and...
in France.
The church is a member of the Protestant Federation of France
Protestant Federation of France
The Protestant Federation of France is a religious organisation created on 25 October 1905, which united the principal Protestant Christian groupings in France.-Federation:...
(Fédération protestante de France), the World Communion of Reformed Churches
World Communion of Reformed Churches
The World Communion of Reformed Churches is an ecumenical Christian body formed in June 2010 by the union of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches and the Reformed Ecumenical Council...
and the World Council of Churches
World Council of Churches
The World Council of Churches is a worldwide fellowship of 349 global, regional and sub-regional, national and local churches seeking unity, a common witness and Christian service. It is a Christian ecumenical organization that is based in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland...
.
The church has approximately 300,000 members, distributed in a somewhat unequal fashion throughout French metropolitan territory with the exception of Alsace-Moselle and the Pays de Montbéliard. The church consists of 400 parishes, organised in 50 presbyteries (consistoires) and eight administrative regions.
Background to formation of the Reformed Church of France
Emerging from the ReformationProtestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
in the 16th century, the reformed Churches
Reformed churches
The Reformed churches are a group of Protestant denominations characterized by Calvinist doctrines. They are descended from the Swiss Reformation inaugurated by Huldrych Zwingli but developed more coherently by Martin Bucer, Heinrich Bullinger and especially John Calvin...
were organised unofficially and, by force of circumstance, clandestinely. The first national synod of the Reformed Churches was held in 1559; their first formal confession of faith (The La Rochelle
Gallic Confession
The Gallic Confession of Faith or Confession de La Rochelle or French Confession of Faith is a Reformed confession of faith....
confession) was composed in 1571. Recognised and restricted by the Edict of Nantes
Edict of Nantes
The Edict of Nantes, issued on 13 April 1598, by Henry IV of France, granted the Calvinist Protestants of France substantial rights in a nation still considered essentially Catholic. In the Edict, Henry aimed primarily to promote civil unity...
in 1598, the last official synod met in 1659; subsequently, the churches were suppressed by the 1685 Edict of Fontainebleau
Edict of Fontainebleau
The Edict of Fontainebleau was an edict issued by Louis XIV of France, also known as the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. The Edict of Nantes of 1598, had granted the Huguenots the right to practice their religion without persecution from the state...
, which revoked Edict of Nantes.
The revocation of the Edict of Nantes began a period of systematic state persecution (known as the Desert (in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, Désert), an allusion to the sufferings of the Hebrews when they wandered in the wilderness following the flight from Egypt) coupled with mass emigration
Emigration
Emigration is the act of leaving one's country or region to settle in another. It is the same as immigration but from the perspective of the country of origin. Human movement before the establishment of political boundaries or within one state is termed migration. There are many reasons why people...
to other European countries, North America and South Africa (les pays de Refuge). In 1787, the Edict of Versailles
Edict of Toleration
An edict of toleration is a declaration made by a government or ruler and states that members of a given religion will not be persecuted for engaging in their religious practices and traditions...
, issued by King Louis XVI of France, ended most legal discrimination against non-Roman Catholics – including Huguenots. In 1802, the church was recognised in accordance with the Organic Articles
Organic Articles
The Organic Articles was the name of a law administering public worship in France.- History :The Articles were originally presented by Napoléon Bonaparte, and consisted of 77 Articles relating to Catholicism and 44 Articles relating to Protestantism...
(les Articles organiques) which followed Napoleon Bonaparte's concordat
Concordat
A concordat is an agreement between the Holy See of the Catholic Church and a sovereign state on religious matters. Legally, they are international treaties. They often includes both recognition and privileges for the Catholic Church in a particular country...
with the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. This permitted a local and non-national organisation of the church, which did not reflect the traditional organisation, (synods, participation of lay members in the pastoral organisation of the Church etc.)
In the 19th century, the Awakening (le Réveil) and other religious movements influenced French and European Protestantism; this was also accompanied by division within French Protestantism. At the time of the promulgation of the Separation of Church and State in 1905, there were no less than four groupings of the Reformed Church: the Evangelical Reformed Churches (les Églises réformées évangéliques), the United Reformed Churches (les Églises réformées unies), the Free Reformed Churches (les Églises réformées libres) and the Methodist Church (l'Église méthodiste).
The Reformed Church of France today
The horrors of the First World War, combined with new departures in theology (in particular the thought of Karl BarthKarl Barth
Karl Barth was a Swiss Reformed theologian whom critics hold to be among the most important Christian thinkers of the 20th century; Pope Pius XII described him as the most important theologian since Thomas Aquinas...
), allowed for a partial restoration of a national grouping: the Reformed Church of France (L’Eglise Réformée de France, ÉRF). This grouping is the largest of the four French Protestant groupings and is in full communion with the other three (which are also members of the World Council of Churches
World Council of Churches
The World Council of Churches is a worldwide fellowship of 349 global, regional and sub-regional, national and local churches seeking unity, a common witness and Christian service. It is a Christian ecumenical organization that is based in the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland...
): the Evangelical Lutheran Church of France (l'Église évangélique luthérienne de France) and the two Protestant churches of Alsace-Lorraine.
Beliefs
The 30th General SynodSynod
A synod historically is a council of a church, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. In modern usage, the word often refers to the governing body of a particular church, whether its members are meeting or not...
held 1872-1873 was the first national synod
Synod
A synod historically is a council of a church, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. In modern usage, the word often refers to the governing body of a particular church, whether its members are meeting or not...
held in 213 years. The General Synod arrived at a new confession of faith, the main principles of which were rejected by an important minority. The 'official' practice of the reformed faith in France distanced itself from stricter Calvinist interpretations. The current Reformed Church adopted liberal currents in reformist theology including, pietism
Pietism
Pietism was a movement within Lutheranism, lasting from the late 17th century to the mid-18th century and later. It proved to be very influential throughout Protestantism and Anabaptism, inspiring not only Anglican priest John Wesley to begin the Methodist movement, but also Alexander Mack to...
, neo-Lutheranism
Neo-Lutheranism
Neo-Lutheranism was a 19th century revival movement within Lutheranism which began with the Pietist driven Erweckung, or Awakening, and developed in reaction against theological rationalism and pietism...
, Methodism
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
, social Christianity etc. The opportunities, substance and limits of theological pluralism are set out in the 1936 Declaration of Faith (which is read at the opening of all synods, adherence to which is required of all pastors licensed to preach and the laity who express membership of the Reformed church)
Organisations & Relations
The church is organised according to a Presbyterian synodal system, with an annual national SynodSynod
A synod historically is a council of a church, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. In modern usage, the word often refers to the governing body of a particular church, whether its members are meeting or not...
, composed mainly of representatives from each of the eight administrative regions with equal numbers of clergy and laity in attendance. The president of the National Council (Conseil national) is elected every three years by the Synod. The current president is pastor Marcel Manoël
Marcel Manoël
Marcel Manoël was the president of the National Council of the Reformed Church in France from his election in 2001 until his retirement in 2010.-Early life and education:He was born in 1945 in Saint-Jean-du-Gard. He is married to Christiane Manen, teacher...
.
Sister denominations and fraternal relations
The Reformed Church in France is also involved in the work of other Protestant churches in France, through its membership of the Protestant Federation of FranceProtestant Federation of France
The Protestant Federation of France is a religious organisation created on 25 October 1905, which united the principal Protestant Christian groupings in France.-Federation:...
(Fédération protestante de France)
In 2005, Pope Benedict sent a message to the national synod of the Reformed Church of France, which thanked the Pontiff for this "gesture of consideration".
Missions
In common with other churches, the Reformed Church in France operates a missionary service (le Défap). The mission service supports reformed churches in Africa and Oceania, primarily those arising from the work of the now defunct Paris Evangelical Missionary SocietyParis Evangelical Missionary Society
The Paris Evangelical Missionary Society , also known as the SMEP or Mission de Paris, was a Protestant missionary association created in 1822...
(Société des missions évangéliques de Paris)
Theological Seminaries
Training for the ministry takes place in the Institut Protestant de Théologie, which forms part of the Protestant theology faculties of the Universities of Paris and Montpellier.Universities, Colleges, and Schools
The church also operates a distance education programme for lay members: Théovie.Symbols
Huguenot cross
The Huguenot cross is a Christian religious symbol originating in France and is one of the more recognisable and popular symbols of the evangelical reformed faith. It is commonly found today as a piece of jewellery or engraved on buildings connected with the Reformed Church in France...
was not an official symbol of the Reformed Church of France, rather it has served as a sign of popular recognition. The official logo of the former reformed churches is the "burning bush
Burning bush
The burning bush is an object described by the Book of Exodus as being located on Mount Sinai; according to the narrative, the bush was on fire, but was not consumed by the flames, hence the name...
". The new logo of the Reformed Church of France is a stylised representation of the burning bush with the Huguenot cross as an insert, and the Latin phrase Flagror Non Consumor (I am burned, I am not consumed) taken from Exodus 3:2b - ...and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.
See also
- HuguenotHuguenotThe Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
- CamisardCamisardCamisards were French Protestants of the rugged and isolated Cevennes region of south-central France, who raised an insurrection against the persecutions which followed the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685...
- Edict of NantesEdict of NantesThe Edict of Nantes, issued on 13 April 1598, by Henry IV of France, granted the Calvinist Protestants of France substantial rights in a nation still considered essentially Catholic. In the Edict, Henry aimed primarily to promote civil unity...
- Edict of FontainebleauEdict of FontainebleauThe Edict of Fontainebleau was an edict issued by Louis XIV of France, also known as the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. The Edict of Nantes of 1598, had granted the Huguenots the right to practice their religion without persecution from the state...
- John CalvinJohn CalvinJohn Calvin was an influential French theologian and pastor during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system of Christian theology later called Calvinism. Originally trained as a humanist lawyer, he broke from the Roman Catholic Church around 1530...
- Huguenot CrossHuguenot crossThe Huguenot cross is a Christian religious symbol originating in France and is one of the more recognisable and popular symbols of the evangelical reformed faith. It is commonly found today as a piece of jewellery or engraved on buildings connected with the Reformed Church in France...