Mission Canada

For more information, visit www.fit4m.ca or contact Gary Connors at gconnors@paoc.org.

Over the last year, our Bible college chapel time has focused on the theme “At the school of Moses (À l’école de Moïse).” The greatest principle that stuck with me from the chapel messages was Moses’ tenacity: in all that he experienced and in everything he did, in spite of the obstacles, he never quit. Moses pursued his calling.

Hans Finzel writes, “In my mind, calling is about following a higher purpose in life. It is listening to and obeying God’s whisper. I personally define calling as ‘following the most compelling of many options at any cost.’ ”[1]

Young men and women are sensing a call to a mission field, and it is important that they know there is one right here in Canada. Whether one wants to serve as a traditional pastor or with new/emerging ministry outreaches, there is room for all. Even though Quebec has its own history and culture, it also shares a lot in common with the rest of Canada, which helps English-speaking workers for the kingdom connect and identify more easily with the people here than on a distant mission field.

You do not have to know where you are going and how you might end up ministering in Quebec. God can open a thousand doors and will help you find the right one in due time.

When interviewing candidates for ministry in French Canada, I always ask them to articulate their sense of call to francophone ministry—how it came about and other key details. Here are some personal reflections from two recent candidates, Erin and Tim, who participated in French Intensive Training for Ministry (FIT4M) in 2015.

Erin: “I have loved French for as long as I can remember. I [began learning] French in Grade 4 and was immediately fascinated with the language. It was in our Canada missions class in first-year Bible college, while talking about what the PAOC has defined as unreached people groups under our Mission Canada umbrella, that my professor began to talk about Quebec. It sparked something in me, and I haven't been able to shake it since.”

Tim: “When the time came to choose our placement for internship at Bible college, I put down Quebec or the Maritimes as my two top choices. However, over the summer I felt the strong call of God to Quebec. It was as if suddenly everything made sense and I knew what I had to do. It is easy to feel called to a place where there is serious need, but recognizing the strengths of that place and envisioning its potential take something else. That comes from the Holy Spirit.”

Along with a sense of calling, an important skill to have is the ability to connect and communicate with those we are called to serve. If someone is called to minister in another country, learning the culture and language is paramount.

I love the thought that one candidate, Fern, expressed during language training several years ago as she prepared for ministry in French Canada: “I shared Jesus in French—for the first time in my life. I felt a hundred feet tall! The French conversation professor asked me why I became a Christian and I told him … in French. That’s exciting, especially for a person who a few months earlier could only talk about Jesus in English!”[2]

Just a few years ago, Mission Canada launched FIT4M, a one-year program for graduates of Bible colleges and credential holders. Participants are introduced into francophone ministry by being incorporated into a local church setting as an active staff member of a local “host church” while they are enrolled as students at a French university in linguistic courses.

FIT4M is an essential part of our overall effort to bring the message of Christ and establish PAOC communities in francophone parts of Canada. It is a step of faith for every student who registers toward what could well become a wonderful and meaningful adventure in seeing Christ’s kingdom grow right here in Canada.

For more information, visit www.fit4m.ca or contact Gary Connors at gconnors@paoc.org.

Gary Connors is the Quebec and Francophone Canada co-ordinator for Mission Canada and gives leadership to the FIT4M initiative. He is also the president of IBQ (Institut Biblique du Québec), our French language PAOC Bible college.