About us
The Holy Bible is God’s revelation to us. It was fully inspired by God, was written by Men and is without error. It is the truth and standard by which we are to live and one day be judged (Proverbs 30:5-6; Romans 2:12-16; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; 2 Peter 1:21).
There is only one living and true God and He has eternally revealed Himself as Trinity -Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:18). He has distinct personal attributes, but is without division of nature, essence or being. To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience (Psalm 83:18; Romans 1:20; Ephesians 4:4-6; Revelation 4:11).
Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God. He was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, lived a perfect life, died on the cross as payment for our sins, rose from the dead three days later, ascended to heaven, and will return to fulfill His redemptive mission (Philippians 2:5-11; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8).
Salvation is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. It is an experience by which a person allows Christ to take control of his or her life and trusts in Jesus alone for the forgiveness of sin and provision of eternal life (Romans 3:23, 10:9-10). By placing your faith in Christ, you can be saved from eternal condemnation and you are promised a full and eternal life with Him (Romans 6:23). At salvation, you receive the Holy Spirit in your life to help you live the life He desires.
Our churches follow the teaching of the Holy Bible. Through prayer and the leading of the Holy Spirit, our Head Pastor works with the Leadership team to recruit those individuals who are called into “Kingdom service.” Prerequisites include adherence to 1 Timothy 3:2-7.
While God is our first and foremost love, we understand that He appoints those to rule under His sovereignty here on Earth.
As such, and as a church in France, we adhere to the French administration by following the formalities under the law, including taking minutes, having church members vote at an annual meeting for the leaders proposed by the Leadership Team.
These churches are not ours. They are God’s and His alone. He raised up leaders to steward them and help care for his sheep.
Each church has a number of different leadership roles, all ultimately reporting back to the Leadership teams at either the Nice or Saint Paul churches respectively. Pastor James Arnold, the Head Pastor, is the President of these teams.
In the interest of safety for our little ones, who are God’s precious gift to us, we do enforce rules for children.
Leadership Team St Paul
James Arnold – Head Pastor and President
James is the pastor for the church in Nice and St Paul. James and his wife Jen with their five kids moved to the Côte d’Azur in 2008 and if you are in the neighborhood (Nice or Saint Paul) they would love to meet you and welcome you into the area. They have come from Denton, Texas where James was the Missions Pastor at Denton Bible Church for 15 years and also the teaching Pastor at Grace Bible Church, one of the nearby church plants in Sanger Texas.
Catherine Melchio – Secretary
Catherine is originally from the city of Lyon and lives on the Côte d’Azur. She joined IBC Saint-Paul in 2013 and is active in the Leadership team. If you don’t speak English she will translate in French for you during Sunday worship service. A painter and a writer she has at heart to share the gospel with French people.
Doug Neihart – Treasurer
Doug and his wife Mo arrived in France, just in time for Covid lockdown. This American couple loves spending their time in God’s word, hiking, and traveling. Having lived in Asia for a decade, they bring strong ex-pat experience.
John Paul Mokski
John Paul and his wife Véronique arrived in Nice in 2020 after spending 6 years in Berlin. They love life in the south of France! Being from two different cultures, they raised an international son. Both love to learn, travel, hike and enjoy good food and friends.