A Beacon on the Seine since 1857
Welcome to the ACP
Our congregation is an interdenominational and international Christian community whose mission is to bear witness by word and deed to the love of God as revealed in Jesus Christ, to provide a place of English language worship in the American Protestant tradition, and to engage in ministries and services that enrich the lives of residents and visitors in Paris.
The American Church in Paris (ACP) is the first American church established outside of the United States. Begun in 1814, its official charter and first sanctuary were established in 1857. We have been located on the Quai d’Orsay since 1931. Among our many esteemed guest preachers have been Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Rev. Jesse Jackson.
ACP is an instrument supported by and in partnership with the American and Foreign Christian Union (AFCU), which is charged with the responsibility for maintaining a place and program of Protestant worship designed particularly for the American community but open to all residents and visitors in Paris.
ACP is an important part of life in Paris, providing spiritual guidance, education, and a strong sense of community and belonging.
ACP serves a diverse population. On any given Sunday, there are 40-50+ different nationalities represented. We are a community of faith that celebrates diversity – theologically, generationally, racially, and culturally. We are a Christian community of all socio-economic backgrounds, ethnicities, races, nationalities, gender identities, and sexual orientations.
To carry out our multi-faceted and dynamic mission, ACP has a related non-religious, not-for-profit association, the Franco American Community Center in Paris (FACCP), which provides hospitality and resources for a variety of community activities and groups. More than 2,000 people use our facilities each day. Two bilingual schools, a variety of recovery groups, exercise, music and art classes, basketball leagues, a concert series, a community bulletin board for housing and job opportunities, are housed in our building. The separate FACCP association provides a legal structure for these and other activities that are not allowed for religious associations in France.
ACP's Vision, Mission, and Values
Embracing the biblical charge to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly, we joyfully and whole-heartedly commit ourselves to discerning and doing the good work prepared for us by the grace of God.
Values – At ACP we particularly value passionate worship, prayerful practices, celebratory diversity, local and international service, Christ centered community, Christian devotion, grace-based relationships, radical hospitality, creation care, spiritual transformation, generous stewardship, Sabbath restoration, creative ministry, inclusive welcome, and risky faith.
Vision – The American Church in Paris community hears God calling us to be the light of the world, a city on a hill that cannot be hidden, and more specifically, a beacon on the Seine. Responding to God’s heart for the healing of the nations, we shall be a house of prayer for all peoples and seek the shalom of the city into which God has sent us. Obeying Christ’s commission to make disciples of all nations, we seek to equip the people of God for ministry, preach the gospel to all creation, and grow deeper in freedom, faith, and love. Keeping in step with the Holy Spirit who builds strangers into the household of God, we regard one another as new creations, pursuing the ministry of reconciliation with God and neighbor and amongst ourselves .
Mission – The mission of the American Church in Paris, an interdenominational and international Christian community, is to bear witness by word and deed to the love of God as revealed in Jesus Christ, to provide a place of English-language worship in the American Protestant tradition, and to engage in ministries and services that enrich the lives of residents and visitors in Paris and around the world.
ACP's Affirmation of Welcome and Inclusion:
We believe that we are called to love and welcome all people of all socio-economic backgrounds, ethnicities, races, nationalities, gender identities, and sexual orientations.
We believe that all who place their faith in Jesus Christ and seek to be his disciple may become members of our church and that all members of the ACP should have the same rights and responsibilities.
How is it that we are able to live into Jesus’ prayer for his church to be one (John 17:20-21)?
“In necessary things, unity; in doubtful things liberty; in all things, charity.” (Richard Baxter 17th Century Puritan)
“Generosity without orthodoxy is nothing. Orthodoxy without generosity is worse than nothing” (Hans Frei)
ACP's Faith Statement – What do we believe?
Theologically, the American Church in Paris may be characterized as belonging to the historic Christian Protestant mainstream. Our constitution states:
The Church recognizes the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the revelation of God in matters of faith and practice, and it accepts as a symbol of our union with the great body of Christians, living and dead, the spiritual truths embodied in the Apostle’s Creed. The church asserts its belief in the freedom and responsibility of the individual and the right of private judgment exercised under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
The Apostle’s Creed (ecumenical)
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.