Swanson, Joel & Stephanie

“Reach Paris, reach France.”

“Paris is a spiritual desert, where hundreds of thousands have no evangelical church. Our goal is one church for every 10,000 people.”

“After the terror attacks, Paris churches started praying together, but it’s fizzled. Given your vision for prayer, you just have to come to Paris!”

This is what Paris pastors told the Swansons.

Joel was a civil engineer with a heart for secular Europe. When he met Stephanie, a former editor, they were both on church-planting teams, he in Ukraine and she in southern France.

They married, and God led them to Paris to work with a small evangelical church that has supported 13 church plants in its first 13 years. Joel and Stephanie are using their gifts in discipleship, apologetics, music, and children’s and youth ministry to strengthen this church as it continues to help launch others.

They long for Parisian believers and non-believers alike to see how the gospel of Jesus Christ transforms all of life and work. Their vision is to see a growing prayer movement that transforms this city, which has seen much bloodshed in religion’s name.