Our Story
We are the Bremers sent out by Denver Street Baptist Church in Greenwood, Arkansas, as missionaries to France.
Our journey toward the mission field began more than twenty years ago when a missionary from China visited Derrick's church during a furlough. As they spent the weekend discussing the risk of simply carrying a Bible and their reasoning for sacrificing their comfort for obedience, a question was planted in Derrick's heart: What does it mean to give your whole life to the gospel?
Years passed after that exchange until Derrick eventually surrendered to ministry without fully knowing what direction obedience would take. Over time, our missionary calling has grown clearer. Through prayer and the shaping of pastoral ministry, the Bremers are ready to step out of the familiar to live out the gospel wherever God leads.
-
Our particular burden for France developed over time. When we first started discussing mission work, the next natural question was where. As Derrick studied and worked on his pastoral training, our focus narrowed to the spiritual apathy of Western Europe. In much of the world, the gospel is advancing rapidly - even in the infamous 10/40 window. But in Western Europe and North America, Christianity is fading from public life.
France, once a fountainhead of theology and missions, now stands as one of the most secular nations on earth. Churches are closing faster than they can be replanted. Generations are growing up without ever hearing the name of Jesus.
Struck by these realities, our backgrounds started to mesh with our desires. We know what it's like to live surrounded by religion and untouched by redemption. We long to bring the gospel into those relational spaces. We want to share Christ through hospitality, discipleship, and genuine friendship.
We believe God has prepared us for this work. The past five years of pastoring have prepared us to patiently till the hard soil of secularism one meal at a time.
-
Derrick is passionate about relational discipleship. He enjoys helping believers move from evangelism to active ministry and ultimately leadership in the local church. He has served as pastor of Denver Street Baptist Church in Greenwood, Arkansas, and as Pastor of Students at Temple Baptist Church in Rogers. Over the years, he has been privileged to serve in associational life, writing for The Baptist Trumpet and the Baptist Publishing House, and participating in leadership roles throughout the BMA.
Derrick's ministry philosophy centers on walking alongside others, encouraging and equipping them to live out the gospel in their everyday lives. In France, he will pursue the same vision, praying that God will raise local leaders to plant churches and disciple others. His heart is to be the Barnabas leader: to support, encourage, and multiply faithful laborers for the kingdom.
Whether preaching, teaching, or sitting around a table, Derrick seeks to connect the truths to the practical and life shapping aspects of daily life.
-
Michelle's story shaped her heart for ministry. She wasn't raised in a Christian home. Despite growing up in the Bible Belt, she didn't hear the gospel for the first time until after she graduated from college. Because of that, she carries a special compassion for those who feel lost, unseen, or far from God.
Her calling to France is rooted in a burden for a nation where churches are few, and faith is often viewed as irrelevant. In a culture that declares "religion has no place in French society," Michelle desires to bring the light of Christ to those living without hope.
For Michelle, this is a lifelong surrender to follow wherever Jesus leads and to love people the way He loves her.
The best way to follow our story is with
Access to Past Newsletters
and more
in the Barnabas Hub
Past Newsletters
~
Share Prayer Requests
~
Past Newsletters ~ Share Prayer Requests ~
Contact Us.
We’d love to connect with you - whether you’re interested in partnering with our ministry, joining our prayer team, or simply learning more about what God is doing in France.
Email: connect@livingoutthegospel.com
Mailing Address:
BMA Global
ATTN: Derrick & Michelle Bremer
P.O. Box 878
Conway, AR 72033
(designate offerings for “Bremers - France”)