Paul Sanders

Born in the USA, Paul completed his university and theological studies in Oregon before moving to France in 1972. He is married to Agnès, French physician, and they have three adult children and seven grandchildren.

After 25 years of ministry in the Paris area, including 10 years in church planting, Paul served as professor, then dean and director for 15 years at the Institut Biblique de Nogent (www.ibnogent.org), Paul and his family moved to Beirut (Lebanon) where they lived for 15 years. Agnès founded a humanitarian Christian NGO, the Association Tahaddi (challenge) (www.TahaddiLebanon.org), which ministers in a large shantytown in the southern Beirut suburbs. Paul worked as academic dean and provost of the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary in Beirut (www.ABTSLebanon.org). Paul & Agnès returned to France en 2009 and live in the city of Nantes in northwestern France.

Between 2006 and 2012, Paul was International Director of the International Council for Evangelical Theological Education and Executive Director of the Middle East North Africa Association for Theological Education (www.menate.org). Retired since 2013, Paul and Agnès remain active in their local church in Nantes, as well as teaching, consulting and writing. Agnès is the author of two books, La vie est un souffle (Life is but a breath) and Tahaddi, sacré défi ! (Hope in the Heart of a Beirut Slum). Paul has just published a book in French on the Zurich Reformation, Zwingli et Bullinger : Quand la Réforme entre en Cène ….

Paul holds a B.A. in History from Oregon State University, a Master of Divinity in Christian Education and Master of Theology in practical theology from Western Baptist Seminary in Oregon, as well as a doctorate in Modern History from the University of Paris-Sorbonne.