Paul Cooke

I’ve been UK Director of France Mission since 2010. Prior to that I was Associate Professor and Head of French at the University of Exeter – so a definite Francophile! I also serve on the Leadership Team of Belmont Exeter, a large evangelical church in southwest England. 2024 marks 50 years since France Mission’s creation by a group of enthusiastic British OMers who’d seen first-hand how great the spiritual needs were in John Calvin’s homeland. Over the past half century, FM has been helping British Christians who love France for whatever reason (holidays, language, culture, family) to see the country as a vital European mission field, with strong linguistic and cultural ties to many other parts of the world. The Lord has greatly blessed the growth of the French evangelical church over recent decades, but many challenges remain – especially in the areas of church planting and developing new leaders.