The church was officially founded by Suzanne and Jean Peterschmitt in Mulhouse in 1966. This assembly was registered under its current name as cultural charitable organization. In 1972, the church had between 60 and 80 members. In 1987, Samuel Peterschmitt succeeded his father as senior pastor of the church. This same year, the premises were relocated to a former supermarket in Mulhouse, with a capacity of 600 seats. In 1989, the church established its new premises in a former supermarket with a capacity of 1,500 seats. In 1995, the sanctuary was enlarged to provide 1,900 seats. In 2005, 1,500 people were regularly attending the church. By 2010, about 4,000 people were watching the church's broadcast of worship on the church's official site. Worships are broadcast by satellite in 37 countries and in Internet. In 2015, the church had expansion work done in its building to create a capacity of 2,500 seats. In 2017, the attendance had reached 2,200 people. Churches were opened in Cayenne and in others cities in France. In 2020 the mass gathering of some 2000 members of the church in Mulhouse between 17 and 21 February was a key event for spreading of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the region of Alsace during the COVID-19 pandemic in France according to statements by French officials in early March 2020.
The church is involved in the city with humanitarian aid and, in this, is recognized by the town hall; the church also provides school support, clothing donation and administrative assistance.
Philadelphia
In 1999, the church created the Philadelphia Cultural Association which sells many books, DVD and CD.
Controversies
In the 1990s, the church was criticized by former members, their families, anti-cult associations and by the Catholic Church. In 1993, the group "Religious Evolution and New Spiritualities", led by the Catholic Church, added to the criticisms. Then, in 1996, the anti-cult association CCMM, received the first complaints from former members. In 1999, Claude Omnibus, the husband of a deceased follower, accused the movement of having killed his wife after her refusal of an organ transplant, and created an association of victims named Association of Victims of the Christian Open Door. He participated in many television programs to warn against the COD, and was supported by the ADFI and CCMM, two anti-cult associations. The COD was described as "a dangerous cult" in a book by two journalists and in many press articles. Activities of the group that are criticized include anti-social speech, family breakdowns, false promises of healing which led to abandonment of medical treatments, theological deviances and financial disclosures. Meanwhile, the COD sought support from French Evangelical Association and unsuccessfully tried to integrate the Protestant Federation of France. Pastor Peterschmitt and members denied these accusations when they were interviewed in the media. The pastor said his church was a victim of religious discrimination. Two sociologists who studied this church in 2002 rejected these criticisms and said in their conclusion that any group might experience deviances.
COVID-19
A gathering organised by the church in mid-February 2020 in Mulhouse and attended by about 2,000 faithful became a significant event in the spread of SARS coronavirus 2 in France. On 3 March, seven local participants had tested positive for the virus; five returnees from the Mulhouse event were confirmed positive in French Guiana on 4 March. On 5 March a retired couple from Lot-et-Garonne and another person from Deux-Sèvres who had attended the same gathering were declared positive for the disease; five new cases from this cluster were registered in Corsica, and three more in Normandy the same day. On 6 March, 81 cases have been detected in the previous 24 hours in Mulhouse. The department of Haut Rhin, in which Mulhouse is situated, imposed strict limits on the gatherings; all schools were closed henceforth. Physical church services were suspended in favour of internet worship. By the end of March 2020 up to 17 members of the congregation have since died of complications linked to the disease. In May 2020, a study by a doctor at the Albert-Schweitzer hospital in Colmar states that the Covid-19 has been present in the region since November 2019 and that the Church is only one link in the chain of virus transmission.
