The best way to learn is context.  That’s why Launch takes you into the classroom and out onto the mission field.  This two-year program is set in southern France, where many unreached Muslims are able to hear the Gospel for the first time.

Launch incorporates language, cultural and ministry education into a semiformal, hands-on ministry experience.  During your first year, we’ll help you find your ministry niche.  Then we’ll guide you through your second year as you dive deeper into your ministry and develop the skills to succeed in it.

Why Launch?

Unreached People Groups

The number of Muslim immigrants in Europe is growing by the day.  Many of these people come from unreached people groups and nations where it’s either illegal or practically impossible to share the Gospel.  Missionaries in France have a great opportunity to share Christ with these unreached people — who can then share Him with others back home through their natural connections.  Launch primarily focuses on immigrants from North African nations, but participants will also get to minister to Middle Easterners.

• Only 1% of France’s population identifies as evangelical.
• Only 8% of France’s population is estimated to be Muslim or from a Muslim background.

Challenging context

Living in a new culture pushes us to our limit.  It challenges our assumptions and preconceived ideas. Imagine living between two new cultures?  Living in France and working among North African immigrants brings twice the expectations, twice the challenges — and twice the opportunities.

The good news is, comfort zones are like rubber bands: If you stretch them, they eventually get used to the “new normal.”  Lose your comfort, and you will find it in so many more situations!  By stepping out in faith, you will learn more about yourself than you ever thought possible, and you will also put yourself in a position to learn about and minister to a new culture in a deeper way.

Bi-vocational ministry

Reading books can only take you so far.  To really know a culture, you must dig deep into it yourself.  You will use observation, guided questions, and case studies to get a feel for the culture where you are living.  As you learn, you will gain a firmer grasp on the culture and on the people, helping you minister with excellence.

Finding Your Niche

You have a God-given passion and vision for reaching unreached people groups – now make those a reality as you discover how to use your gifts and callings for the Kingdom in this place.  Often, the first years of a long-term career are spent adjusting expectations to reality and figuring out how best to participate in the existing work while maintaining your God-given vision.  You may find that your plans do not fit with your team’s or are not applicable within the culture.  But with Launch, you have the opportunity and challenge of finding your niche first, which you can then develop during the rest of your internship and in future ministry.

When your two years are up, you will have a clearer picture of what your future holds. You will have put research into what is needed and how YOU fit into what God is doing in the world!