The Church of God in France (Eglise de Dieu en France) was created by Walter Lauster on December 30th , 1959. The Church of God is one of the few members of the Protestant Federation of France. We have just created a group for the COG on our French-Speaking Christian Network.

Joining a group is a great way to get started on a the French-Speaking Christian Network (CHRETIENS EN RESEAU. You can browse existing groups on a network by “Most Active,” “Latest Activity,” “Most Members” or “Newest”. Once you find an interesting group, click on its title to view it. To join an existing group, go to the group’s detail page.

About the Church of God

The Church of God traces its roots to the 19th August 1886, when a group of eight Christians led by Richard G. Spurling, seeking to encourage deeper consecration and holiness, founded the Christian Union at Barney Creek in Tennessee. On the 15th May 1902 this union was reorganised and renamed the Holiness Church at Camp Creek.

In January 1907 during an assembly, it was unanimously and harmoniously decided to rename the organisation the Church of God according to 1 Corinthians 1:1. This new name was typical of the holiness churches formed in America during this period.

The call of the Church of God today beckons back to those early days at Barney Creek. Church of God congregations around the globe are experiencing the fire of the Holy Spirit today more than ever. Reports of revivals where hundreds are saved and filled with the Holy Spirit are frequent and on-going. The call of the Church of God is for world evangelization. It is a call to discipleship and prayer. It is a call of commitment. It is a call for the Church of God to be a channel for Pentecostal revival well into the new millennium.

In France, it was in 1957 that Hermann Lauster started a work of evangelisation in Alsace and especially in Colmar in a church started by Henri Nothdurft. This church was first of all attached to the German Church of God (Gemeinde Gottes), but this was looked on badly by the local authorities, and it rapidly became necessary to find a French attachment. It was thus that on the 30th December 1959 that his son, Walter Lauster, declared the statutes for the association “Église de Dieu en France” (Church of God in France) at the Aube Prefecture.

For further information on the history of the Church God, recommended reading is the book Like A Mighty Army, by Dr. Charles W. Conn, available through Pathway Press. Visit their web site at www.pathwaypress.org or visit our Christian Network.