French embracing evangelical church - The Washington Times

"What's striking about the evangelical movement is that it's growing. You can see this throughout Europe. It's answering a spiritual need," Mr. Sinclair said.

As it grows, Europe's evangelical movement is developing a sharply different face than its American counterpart.

In France and elsewhere in Europe, evangelicals have largely stayed on the sidelines of political battles -- partly because many believe in the separation of church and state, partly because they remain divided on a number of key issues.

"We evangelicals in France are a minority among a Protestant minority," said Etienne Lhermenault, general secretary of the Federation of Evangelical Baptist Churches of France. "So we have a minority mentality. Our American evangelical friends have a majority mentality, even if they're not exactly the majority."

European churches are embracing Asian, Caribbean and African preachers such as French-Congolese twin brothers, Yvan and Yves Castanou, who run an organization called Impact.

"The church is here to solve all problems -- family issues, financial issues, all different kinds of issues, not just spiritual issues. And that's what really makes a difference," said 35-year-old Yves Castanou, as he paused from greeting a stream of worshippers one recent Sunday inside Impact's threadbare community center.

For Ivorian Blaise Ezoua, the Sunday services are worth a 30-mile roundtrip drive each week to the suburban Paris church.

"What touches me is the warmth and fraternal community among brothers and sisters here," said the stocky computer technician. "We have brothers from Central Africa. We have brothers from China. We get people from everywhere. Brothers from France are also joining."

French skepticism of evangelical Christians, if not downright hostility, is fueled by myriad factors, from suspicions that churches are tainted by American influence to fears they provide platforms for bogus pastors. Even evangelical leaders warn that African-style prosperity churches, which emphasize financial success, are flourishing around Paris.

"There's a huge increase in these large churches in the poorest areas," said Majagira Bulangalire, president of the Community of Churches of African Expression in France, a network partly created to fight against scam churches.