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)