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Missionary
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On September 5, 2009, Bill and Diane Jerdan celebrated 37 years of ministry in France. Their vision has been to work alongside committed French Christians to build up the indigenous French church as a strong witnessing force in the French culture. Evangelical churches are an almost invisible minority in a society that sees little need for religious influence or practice. The Roman Catholic Church says its country-wide attendance is about 8% of the population. French Protestants make up only about 2% of the population of the country. Because of the destructive influence of liberal teaching in most of the French Protestant seminaries, true faith is dwindling rapidly in traditional Protestant circles. This means that almost 9 out of 10 French people have no religious life whatsoever. Most young people under the age of 25 have had no personal contact at all with Christianity. During their years in France, Bill and Diane have worked mainly with the Evangelical Reformed Church of France (which traces its heritage and its 1559 Confession of Faith to the 16th century Protestant Reformation in France). This is a small group of about 30 pastors and 40 churches which affirms and teaches the evangelical biblical faith. The majority of these churches are found in the extreme southern part of France, mainly in small towns between the cities of Marseilles and Toulouse. However, for their first twelve years in France, it was in the greater Paris area that Bill and Diane participated in their church-planting effort. During this time, they helped start or build up four new works, three of which are still ministering in the area. In 1987 they were called to a small church in a large suburban area north of the city of Marseilles. This church had been started by a Swiss church-planter and had been without a pastor for over six years before their arrival. This was the first Protestant church ever to have been planted in this large working-class area with a population of 150,000. During their seven years there, the Jerdans were able to stabilize the congregation and help it grow to a Sunday-morning attendance of nearly 100, which is twice the size of the average French congregation. After 20 years of personal church-planting experience in difficult situations, Bill and Diane began a new phase of their ministry in 1994. They moved to the Mediterranean city of Montpellier where they could work part-time with an experienced French pastor, while remaining available to help younger French pastors in church-planting ministries. Seeking to develop outreach ministries specifically for urban areas, they also gave training seminars and weekend conferences on topics where there is little practical help for French churches: family living, Christian Education, and church-based evangelism outreach. From 2003 to 2009, Bill and Diane were again in a church planting mission. In cooperation with a nearby Evangelical Reformed Church, they worked to develop a church in a small town about 15 miles north of Montpellier, an area which has never before in history had a Protestant church. For the past seven years Bill and Diane have also been associated with the Partners for the Gospel, a French organization which tries to give encouragement and practical help to French Reformed pastors interested in developing evangelism in their local churches. The French Protestant church is small, weak, and lacking in resources and personnel at all levels. It is still dependent on foreign sources for much of its literature, teachers, and finances in order to maintain its present level of outreach. The Jerdans' presence in France was just a “drop in the bucket” of the enormous needs in that country, but, fewer of those needs would have been met if they had not been there! In spite of their missionary status, Bill and Diane were totally integrated into the structure of the French church, even being elected to serve on denominational boards. Diane was a member of the editorial committee of the church's monthly magazine and also serves on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of the Evangelical Reformed seminary in Aix en Provence, France, the only evangelical reformed seminary in the whole French-speaking world. Bill was a member of the editorial committee that writes and publishes theological material for the French churches. Bill is from South Carolina and Diane from South Dakota. They met at Wheaton College (IL) from which they both graduated. Bill continued his studies at Reformed Episcopal Seminary in Philadelphia. After serving for three years at St. Luke's R.E. Church in Philadelphia, Bill and Diane began their missionary service in France in 1972. After two years of French language study, they started their work with the French Evangelical Reformed Church. Bill and Diane have four children, all born in France:
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Diane's 2010 Mission Trip Blog You may send contributions for the Jerdans' ministry to
Mr. Charles Twining
Jr. Make checks payable to the REC Board of Foreign Missions and mark for “The Jerdans.” Contact Information:
Bill and Diane Jerdan Email: jerdandw@gmail.com The Jerdans send a monthly email report on their ministry, noting current subjects of thanksgiving and intercession. To request it, send a message to their email address. |
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Diane and Bill Jerdan
are currently on furlough. If you would like to schedule a
speaking engagement with them, please contact them at jerdandw@gmail.com.