In some of the most remote corners of Francophone Africa, a new movement has been quietly taking root.
It started unexpectedly. After watching The GodMan, an animated film telling the story of Jesus, groups of teens in French-speaking villages kept coming back to ask questions; they wanted to learn more. Local leaders with a heart for young people saw the hunger for discipleship. So they began gathering these youth, week after week. What started as a single screening grew into something far more powerful: a grassroots church-planting movement.
That movement became Lumière.
A Spark Ignited by Youth
In 2015, OneHope regional leaders cast a bold vision: to see thousands of churches planted across Francophone Africa. It was called The Lumière Project, and it used The GodMan to inspire viewers to plant churches in their communities. It innovatively spread the light of God’s Word to Africa.
From the very beginning, research played a vital role: tracking growth, measuring spiritual health, and informing strategy in real time.
Each new church completed a launch survey, with follow-ups 12–18 months later. Field interviews and focus groups with pastors revealed both progress and pain points, which were insights that shaped next steps.
What Insights Showed Us:
- Most churches saw stable or growing attendance even in early years.
- Children’s ministries were a priority: Over two-thirds of churches launched them within the first 12-18 months.
- Many added teen ministries as they grew.
- Baptisms were common, often led by young people.
At the same time, data revealed critical needs. In low-literacy areas, churches struggled with Scripture engagement, prompting a partnership with Faith Comes By Hearing to distribute audio Bibles in local languages. When leadership shortages emerged as a top reason for church closures, local teams prioritized training and equipping new leaders.
The Movement Expands
By 2020, more than 2,000 churches had been planted across 11 countries in the African continent, reaching over 140,000 people.
That was just the beginning.
Today, the Lumière network has spread to 19 countries—including English-speaking nations—with over 6,300 churches planted, and more than 460,000 people have attended these congregations. These churches often take root in Muslim or Animist-majority regions, where simply attending church is a courageous act of faith. Some meet under trees. Others in borrowed sheds. In some areas, persecution is a daily reality.
Lumière shows what’s possible when research doesn’t just inform but transforms.
Local teams now receive regular data briefs with maps, growth trends, denominational partnership insights, and closure reports. In Togo, teams are piloting a map-based tool to identify under-reached communities and prioritize the next planting efforts.
Meanwhile, U.S. churches and partners are using these insights to pray, support, and equip local leaders with tools tailored to meet real needs on the ground.
Looking Ahead
What began with a single film screening now stretches across an entire continent. As OneHope celebrates over 6,300 new churches across Africa, the vision continues: that every community would have a light-bearing church, and that children and youth would remain at the center of this growing movement of faith.
This is still just the beginning.
OneHope Team
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