Alliance Leaders Reflect on Their Spiritual DNA at Training Seminar in France

In a significant step toward fostering unity and deeper theological understanding among Alliance churches in France, more than 30 leaders gathered in Toulouse from across the country and from neighboring Spain to attend a formative seminar on the DNA of the Alliance.

Unlike many Alliance regions around the world, France does not have a dedicated theological training institution for its pastors and leaders. Many of those serving in ministry come from diverse theological backgrounds. This training seminar, organized in partnership with the Alliance World Fellowship (AWF), its International Commission of Theological Education (ICTE), and the C&MA of France, aimed to strengthen participants’ understanding of Alliance Identity and Theology.

A team of enthusiastic volunteers made participants feel at home, facilitating a welcoming and dynamic learning environment. Gratitude was expressed to the AWF for its intentional support of the French context and to the Toulouse International Church for graciously hosting the event.

At the heart of the seminar was a rediscovery of the spiritual legacy of Alliance founder Albert Benjamin Simpson. The seminar featured two keynote speakers: Dr. Peter Laughlin, the chairman of the AWF ICTE, from Australia, and Dr. Walter Perez, a board member of the ICTE and the Latin American Theological Faculty (FATELA), from Argentina. Both brought depth and passion to their presentations, igniting rich conversations around shared tables.

Dr. Laughlin highlighted four key moments in A.B. Simpson’s life: his personal conversion, his pursuit of sanctification, his missional vision, and his personal experience of divine healing. These elements remain central to the Alliance identity today.

The seminar also emphasized three pillars of Alliance theology that are often underemphasized in contemporary church life:

• Deeper Life in Christ: A call to ongoing sanctification and spiritual depth.
• Christ our Healer: Confidence in Jesus’ power to restore all areas of life.
• Christ our Coming King: A commitment to proclaim Christ’s love until he returns.

These are not merely doctrinal statements, participants were reminded, but a way of life. The AWF invites believers into a lively, Spirit-led journey that challenges comfort and compels mission.

“I have long believed that the early Christian and Missionary Alliance was the product of a unique historical moment and the remarkable character of A.B. Simpson,” Dr. Pérez said. “He championed an unshakable vision that shaped his life, his ministry, and the future of the movement: the world was the challenge, and it had to be reached in anticipation of the Lord’s return.”

With a Christ-centered spirituality, and groundbreaking teachings on the Holy Spirit who produces both holiness and service, Simpson laid the foundation for what became a global missionary movement. Churches were planted, seminaries founded, and generations of pastors and missionaries raised up in country after country.

“To me,” said Rev. Olivier LO, president of the C&MA of France, “the Alliance is a missional evangelical movement centered on Jesus Christ. It invites us to live out his salvation authentically and experience deep transformation. More than a denomination or a message, it’s a committed way of life. The Alliance, centered on Jesus, committed to the world. But above all, what defined Simpson was his passion for the Lord—a passion that ignited his life. Without that burning desire for the expansion of the gospel, the mission cannot endure.”

More than a theological refresher, the seminar served as a communal call to action: to live out the Alliance’s identity as a family on mission, united in Christ and propelled forward by a shared longing to bring his hope to the world.

As one attendee summarized, “The DNA of the Alliance isn’t just what we believe—it’s who we are, together, in Christ.”