Written by the Johnsons, IM missionaries to France

For decades, French missionaries have seen the need and expressed the desire for a Bible Institute. Finding someone who would teach Free Will Baptist doctrine on an academic level seemed impossible. The French hold education in incredibly high regard, so this need is very important in this country.

In the past, French churchgoers have sought training through other institutions, ended up changing their theological beliefs, and eventually left the denomination. This hurt the hearts of our IM missionaries who saw the opportunity for French leadership in our Free Will Baptist churches being taken away. Our missionaries wanted to plant more churches, but how could they without stable French leadership in the churches they were leaving? And so, the idea of the French Bible Institute was born!

Several missionaries had the desire and passion to start this institute. Many with incredible language abilities, theological knowledge, and a fervor for teaching attempted to start the institute. However, with needs on the field leaning more towards pastoral leadership in our churches, these men found themselves overwhelmed with responsibilities. Rightfully so, their local congregations took the forefront of their efforts in ministry.

This is where we come in. Alejandro Johnson has a deep passion for teaching theology, and seeing that the French field had such a big need, we prayed and answered the call to serve in France. We were approved to serve with IM in 2023, raised our funds in less than a year (praise the Lord for His faithfulness and for the generosity of His people), and we believed we were all ready to go to France in January of 2025.

Then, we were met with a roadblock…or more of an “airblock.” Breanna’s visa continually got denied for varying inconclusive “reasons.” For months we reapplied and got rejected, and while we felt discouraged, our confidence in the mission that God had placed in our hearts did not waver. We knew one thing for sure: God was leading us to serve in France at this Institute, but we didn’t know why we had to wait.

So, while we continued to apply for Breanna’s visa, conversed with a lawyer about advocating for us, and welcomed our son into the world, Alejandro began teaching an intern at our Free Will Baptist church in Saint Nazaire via Zoom. Three days a week, Alejandro taught lessons through a seven-hour time difference, and the rest of his time was spent planning classes for the future of the institute, determining which books to use, and seeking to get the institute certificate accredited through Welch College.

By God’s grace and in His perfect timing, Breanna and Theodore’s visas were approved in late May of 2026, and we moved to France in early June. All of the hard work spent lesson planning, gathering resources, and presenting this concept to potential students finally reached its payoff date on September 7, 2026, when Alejandro taught his first in-person class in Saint Nazaire!

The wealth of prayer and hard work that has gone into this institute by French missionaries, past and present, and faithful supporters of this ministry has finally been brought to fruition this fall in a way that the French missionaries have been seeking for decades. What a blessing to be able to fill a need that has been so deeply desired by servants of Christ here in France. We look forward to seeing the fruits of the labors of these students who are seeking to fulfill the will of God for their lives. After all the waiting, this is only the beginning!