Mission of Full Gospel - Christian Open Door
Encyclopedia
The Mission of Full Gospel - Christian Open Door [COD] (Mission du Plein Évangile - Porte Ouverte Chrétienne [POC]) is a French
Evangelical church
whose main place of worship is located in Mulhouse
. It is the second largest Protestant church
in France, with over 2,200 members, and is frequently considered a megachurch
as 1,500 members regularly attend the church. Every Sunday, the broadcast of the worship is seen by about 4,000 people on the church's official site. The church in Mulhouse is part of the Federation of Full Gospel Churches in France, created in 1992, which includes Pentecostal churches wishing to join the Protestant Federation of France
(Fédération protestante de France [FPF]). In the 1990s, the church was criticized by former members, their families and anti-cult associations.
. In 1963, he joined the Pentecostal community affiliated with the French Assemblies of God
led by Pastor Gilbert Ringenbach, after the miraculous healing of his wife by the pastor. He became a translator within the community. In 1965, despite the pastor's opposition, he decided, with the help of his cousin, Jean Widemer, a pastor in Valentigney
, to open a small meeting room in Thann
, then in Mulhouse in 1966. This assembly was registered under its current name as cultural charitable organization
. He joined pastor Albert Burkhart who consecrated him as pastor in 1970.
The movement held a place of worship
in Pfastatt
, then developed in Alsace and Germany, with three annexes. However, after an organizational disagreement, Peterschmitt broke his ties with the annexes, and the place of worship in Pfastatt was cancelled. Thereafter, the group grew up again and the worship association "Mission of Full Gospel. The Christian Open Door" was created in 1987. The association established its new premises in a former supermarket and had over 600 regular churchgoers in 1989. The number of believers grew quickly and a church was opened in Cayenne
.
, and created an association of victims named Association of Victims of the Christian Open Door (Association des Victimes de la Porte Ouverte Chrétienne, AVIPOC). He participated in many television programs to warn against the COD, and was supported by the ADFI and CCMM, two anti-cult associations (the CCMM asked the MILS
to add the COD in the 1995 list of cult
s). The COD was considered "a dangerous cult" in a book by two journalists and in many press articles. Activities of the group that are criticized include anti-social speech, family breakdowns, false promises of healing which led to abandonment of medical treatments, theological deviances and financial disclosures. Meanwhile, the COD sought support from French Evangelical Association (Association Évangélique Française [AEF]) and unsuccessfully tried to integrate the Protestant Federation of France.
Pastor Peterschmitt and members denied these accusations when they were interviewed in the media. The pastor thought his church was a victim of religious discriminations. In their conclusions, two sociologists who studied this church in 2002 rejected these criticisms and said that possible deviances can occur in any group.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Evangelical church
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
whose main place of worship is located in Mulhouse
Mulhouse
Mulhouse |mill]] hamlet) is a city and commune in eastern France, close to the Swiss and German borders. With a population of 110,514 and 278,206 inhabitants in the metropolitan area in 2006, it is the largest city in the Haut-Rhin département, and the second largest in the Alsace region after...
. It is the second largest Protestant church
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
in France, with over 2,200 members, and is frequently considered a megachurch
Megachurch
A megachurch is a church having 2,000 or more in average weekend attendance. The Hartford Institute's database lists more than 1,300 such Protestant churches in the United States. According to that data, approximately 50 churches on the list have attendance ranging from 10,000 to 47,000...
as 1,500 members regularly attend the church. Every Sunday, the broadcast of the worship is seen by about 4,000 people on the church's official site. The church in Mulhouse is part of the Federation of Full Gospel Churches in France, created in 1992, which includes Pentecostal churches wishing to join the Protestant Federation of France
Protestant Federation of France
The Protestant Federation of France is a religious organisation created on 25 October 1905, which united the principal Protestant Christian groupings in France.-Federation:...
(Fédération protestante de France [FPF]). In the 1990s, the church was criticized by former members, their families and anti-cult associations.
History
The church was founded by Jean Peterschmitt (1927), a son of a MennoniteMennonite
The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after the Frisian Menno Simons , who, through his writings, articulated and thereby formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders...
. In 1963, he joined the Pentecostal community affiliated with the French Assemblies of God
Assemblies of God
The Assemblies of God , officially the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, is a group of over 140 autonomous but loosely-associated national groupings of churches which together form the world's largest Pentecostal denomination...
led by Pastor Gilbert Ringenbach, after the miraculous healing of his wife by the pastor. He became a translator within the community. In 1965, despite the pastor's opposition, he decided, with the help of his cousin, Jean Widemer, a pastor in Valentigney
Valentigney
Valentigney is a commune in the Doubs department in the Franche-Comté region in eastern France.Valentigney is best known as the place where Peugeot began operations; several members of the Peugeot family still live in the area....
, to open a small meeting room in Thann
Thann, Haut-Rhin
Thann is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.Its inhabitants are known as Thannois.-Geography:...
, then in Mulhouse in 1966. This assembly was registered under its current name as cultural charitable organization
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
. He joined pastor Albert Burkhart who consecrated him as pastor in 1970.
The movement held a place of worship
Place of worship
A place of worship or house of worship is an establishment or her location where a group of people comes to perform acts of religious study, honor, or devotion. The form and function of religious architecture has evolved over thousands of years for both changing beliefs and architectural style...
in Pfastatt
Pfastatt
Pfastatt is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France. It forms part of the Mulhouse Alsace Agglomération, the inter-communal local government body for the Mulhouse conurbation.-References:*...
, then developed in Alsace and Germany, with three annexes. However, after an organizational disagreement, Peterschmitt broke his ties with the annexes, and the place of worship in Pfastatt was cancelled. Thereafter, the group grew up again and the worship association "Mission of Full Gospel. The Christian Open Door" was created in 1987. The association established its new premises in a former supermarket and had over 600 regular churchgoers in 1989. The number of believers grew quickly and a church was opened in Cayenne
Cayenne
Cayenne is the capital of French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France located in South America. The city stands on a former island at the mouth of the Cayenne River on the Atlantic coast. The city's motto is "Ferit Aurum Industria" which means "Work brings wealth"...
.
Organization and beliefs
This church focuses on personal faith and claimed many miraculous healings. The faithful are mostly former Catholics or were already evangelical. The group created a cultural association named Philadelphia Cultural Association (Association Culturelle Philadelphia) which sells many books, DVD and CD. It also organizes humanitarian aid in Bulgaria, Romania, Israel, Serbia, India and Senegal. The association also has a football team, the Sports Association of the Christian Open Door (Association sportive de la Porte Ouverte Chrétienne). It also founded a group composed of former drug addicts.Controversies
The church was first criticized in the early 1990s by the Catholic Church. In 1993, the group "Religious Evolution and New Spiritualities" ("Évolution Religieuses et Nouvelles Spiritualités"), led by the Catholic Church, added to the criticisms. Then, in 1996, the anti-cult association, CCMM, received the first complaints from former members. In 1999, Claude Omnibus, the husband of a deceased follower, accused the movement of having killed his wife after her refusal of an organ transplantOrgan transplant
Organ transplantation is the moving of an organ from one body to another or from a donor site on the patient's own body, for the purpose of replacing the recipient's damaged or absent organ. The emerging field of regenerative medicine is allowing scientists and engineers to create organs to be...
, and created an association of victims named Association of Victims of the Christian Open Door (Association des Victimes de la Porte Ouverte Chrétienne, AVIPOC). He participated in many television programs to warn against the COD, and was supported by the ADFI and CCMM, two anti-cult associations (the CCMM asked the MILS
MIVILUDES
MIVILUDES , a French government agency, has the task of:* observing and analyzing movements perceived as constituting a threat to public order or that violate French law*...
to add the COD in the 1995 list of cult
Cult
The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...
s). The COD was considered "a dangerous cult" in a book by two journalists and in many press articles. Activities of the group that are criticized include anti-social speech, family breakdowns, false promises of healing which led to abandonment of medical treatments, theological deviances and financial disclosures. Meanwhile, the COD sought support from French Evangelical Association (Association Évangélique Française [AEF]) and unsuccessfully tried to integrate the Protestant Federation of France.
Pastor Peterschmitt and members denied these accusations when they were interviewed in the media. The pastor thought his church was a victim of religious discriminations. In their conclusions, two sociologists who studied this church in 2002 rejected these criticisms and said that possible deviances can occur in any group.