Possibilities and Perils—A Look at Jewish Missions

by Mitch Glaser

The number of Jews who believe in Jesus has grown considerably in the past 20 years. The origin of this growth can, in large part, be traced to the Jesus Movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s.

The number of Jews who believe in Jesus has grown considerably in the past 20 years. The origin of this growth can, in large part, be traced to the Jesus Movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Most people know about the thousands of "counterculture" youth with Protestant backgrounds who embraced Christ during this time. However, few realize that a large number of Jews also accepted the Lord.

It was from these beginnings that the modern movement in Jewish missions was spawned. Most importantly, perhaps, is the fact that this movement brought the sparkle of indigeniety back to the enterprise of Jewish missions.

Today, this movement is in its teens, advancing, sometimes stumbling, toward maturity. Four trends are having a significant impact in the field of Jewish missions in the 1980s.

The first trend-one that is seemingly positive and yet has dangerous implications for Jewish missions-is the proliferation of "friendship groups." These are evangelical Christians who have banded together for the purpose of supporting Jewish causes. The largest of these groups is Christian Embassy, headquartered in Israel, with "consulates" around the world. Smaller groups such as Bless Israel (England), Comfort My People (Canada), and TAV Ministries (California) have recently been formed.

The friendship groups are theologically committed to the modern state of Israel as the fulfillment of biblical prophecy. They believe it is the Christian’s duty, according to Genesis 12:3, to "bless" Israel via financial and political support.

Christian Embassy’s statement of goals reflects this view, expressing concern for the Jewish people and the reborn state of Israel; encouraging Christians to pray for Jerusalem and the land of Israel; serving as a center for Christians worldwide; stimulating Christians to influence their countries on behalf of the Jewish people; assisting projects in Israel, for the well-being of all who live there; and seeking to be a reconciling influence between Arabs and Jews.

Every fall, Christian Embassy and other friendship groups gather in Jerusalem for a celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles. Keynote speakers have included Teddy Kolleck, mayor of Jerusalem, and Menachem Begin, former Prime Minister of Israel.

Noticeably absent are representatives of the Jewish Christian community. I was told of a Jewish Christian who was wearing a T-shirt that said "Jesus made me kosher." The man was asked to remove the shirt or leave the celebration because the leaders were afraid of offending non-Christian Israelis in attendance.

This incident is indicative of how friendship groups feel about direct contact evangelism. Their idea of evangelism is to bless Israel through political, financial, and prayer support. Through this support, it is hoped Israelis will see the love of Christians for the Jewish people and perhaps ask questions about Christianity. Christian witness is just a byproduct of the friendship groups.

Many Christians confuse the friendship groups with Jewish missions and feel that the approach is merely one of many ways to evangelize the Jews. As a result, these groups tend to divert the energy and resources of sincere Christians away from authentic evangelism.

The friendship group movement is dangerous because it focuses the attention of the church on something other than the Great Commission. Evangelism is the most loving act an evangelical Christian can do for a Jewish person, even if the message is not positively received.

The danger of dialogue
The second trend in the field of Jewish missions today is the increase in Jewish/evangelical dialogue. In 1975, the first such dialogue was held in New York City, co-sponsored by the Institute of Holy Land Studies and the Interreligious Affairs Department of the American Jewish Committee (IAD/AJC). A volume of essays, titled "Evangelicals and Jews in Conversation," resulted from the conference.

A second national conference was held at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, III., in 1980, co-sponsored by Christianity Today magazine and IAD/AJC. A volume titled "Evangelicals and Jews in an Age of Pluralism" resulted and was published in 1984. That same year another conference was held at Gordon-Conwell Divinity School in South Hamilton, Mass.

Although it is always good to promote understanding between people, the movement of evangelical and Jewish dialogue potentially can be harmful.

In an article titled "Dialogue, Evangelism, and the Jewish Community," Moishe Rosen said, "Dialogue is often a thinly-veiled attack on evangelism and those who practice it. As Jewish community leaders enter into such dialogue, they never miss the opportunity to deal a blow at the enterprise of Jewish evangelism."

Jewish community leaders stand to gain much by entering such dialogue. For example, they are able to tell their constituency that they are bettering community relations and upgrading respect for the Jewish religion. But their hidden agenda is to hinder evangelism among the Jewish people.

Rabbi A. Jame Rudin, Director of IAC/AJC, wrote: "The major problem [with Jewish/evangelical relations] centers on these themes: missions, witness, conversion, and proselytization." He urged the evangelical community to end its support of Hebrew Christian groups, saying that such activity compromised the authenticity of inter-faith dialogue. "There is such a thing as authentic Judaism and authentic Christianity, but the Hebrew Christian groups are neither," he said.

Morris Inch, in his article "Jews and Evangelicals, a Breach Born in Heaven," comments:

I conclude with an appeal to dialogue. By nature, dialogue suggests the willingness to hear and be heard. It also suggests that we go beyond speaking at Jews to speaking with them. Rightly understood, dialogue does not compromise the integrity of those who participate or the communities they represent. The opportunity today for Jewish/evangelical dialogue is unprecedented. With these thoughts in mind, therefore, let us proceed with care, but proceed nonetheless.

In response to Dr. Inch, we should indeed proceed with care in pursuing Jewish/Christian dialogue, for there truly is danger. We usually allow ourselves to be influenced by our friends. Evangelicals wearing "rose-colored glasses" hope that by winning the friendship of Jewish community leaders, an opportunity will open for witness. But the Jewish leaders have more to gain than evangelicals, because they will use that friendship to denounce Jewish evangelism.

A boost from Lausanne
The third trend in Jewish missions-and a positive one-is the support they have received from the Lausanne Consultation on Jewish Evangelism (LCJE) that had its origin in the Lausanne Committee on World Evangelization Consultation held in Thailand in 1980. In many ways LCJE is a resurrection of the old Committee for the Christian Approach to the Jews sponsored by the International Missionary Council some 50 years ago.

The consultation in Thailand produced a paper titled, "Christian Witness to the Jewish People." Twenty church and Jewish mission leaders committed themselves to continuation of the consultation on Jewish evangelism, and with the encouragement of Leighton Ford and other leaders of the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization, the LCJE was formed as an ongoing task force.

The five-fold purpose of the task force is:

1. To gather and catalogue information appropriate for Jewish evangelism and to furnish such material in an occasional publication.

2. To provide a platform on which Jewish missions can meet to coordinate strategies.

3. To monitor and report trends in the Jewish community.

4. To stimulate theological and missiological research related to Jewish evangelism.

5. To arrange for consultations that will be useful for those engaged in Jewish evangelism.

In September, 1983, LCJE met in England for its second consultation. Fifty-two delegates were represented, as well as 17 Jewish missions, seven theological institutes, and a number of Messianic congregations. More than half of the participants were Jewish believers. During that consultation, committees were formed for different continents, and the leaders of these groups were encouraged to develop local conferences. So far, in the United States, there have been three conferences.

Last August, a third international meeting took place on the grounds of All Nations Christian College in Easenyeye, England. This significant gathering involved 160 participants from 17 nations. Again more than half of the participants were Jewish Christians. The conference can be summed up in the challenging comment of David Hanley, international coordinator, who said: "One cannot be consistent with the Scriptures and neglect the evangelization of the Jewish people."

In the past, the church has expressed only a fringe concern for the evangelization of Jews. Likewise, Jewish mission agencies have limited their concern to the evangelism of Jewish people, and have not taken their place in the mainstream of the evangelical church.

LCJE is a giant leap forward. Now, Jewish believers and missionaries to the Jews have a voice within the international missionary community. This credibility is vital to the progress of Jewish missions.

Messianic congregations proliferate
The fourth trend in Jewish missions today is the establishment of indigenous Jewish Christian churches, or Messianic congregations. The forming of Messianic congregations is ancient; its history begins in the second chapter of Acts. Jewish congregations existed worldwide to some extent during the 19th century. But the movement declined after World War I, and Hebrew Christian churches became rare.

The trend in missions during the past 25 years toward establishing homogenous churches (Hispanic, Black, Korean, etc.), combined with the resurgence of Jewish identity, has resulted in a significant movement of Jewish Christians toward forming Messianic congregations. In a recent survey of Jewish Christians, 10 percent indicated they attended Messianic congregations.

Currently, there are more than 50 functioning Messianic congregations in the United States. Many are small, with less than 30 members, and have no full-time pastor. But a few, such as Beth Yeshua (House of Jesus) in Philadelphia, Beth Messiah (House of the Messiah) in Washington, D.C., and Kehilat Y’shua (Congregation of Jesus) in New York City, draw close to 200 people at their main services.

Most Messianic congregations are independent, although some are members of major denominations. The Assemblies of God have six Messianic congregations. The Presbyterians have two. These congregations are usually at least 50 percent Jewish and meet on Friday nights or Saturday mornings, although some worship on Sunday as well.

New strength for Hebrew Christian churches
In July, 1979, a Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations (UMJC) was formed. UMJC considers itself an umbrella organization embracing and strengthening most of the Messianic congregations in the United States and Canada. The objectives of UMJC are:

1. To provide whatever aid possible in the initiation, establishment and growth of Messianic Jewish congregations worldwide.

2. To be a voice for Messianic Jewish congregations and Messianic Judaism worldwide.

3. To provide a forum for the discussion of issues relevant to Messianic Judaism and Messianic Jewish congregations.

4. To aid in the causes of Jewish people worldwide, especially in Israel.

5. To support the training of Messianic leaders.

Perhaps of greater interest is UMJC’s statement of standards, which clearly asserts the UMJC’s desire to be counted among mainstream evangelicals:

1. The Bible is the absolute authority in all matters of teaching and practice.

2. Salvation is by grace through faith in Yeshua’s atonement and resurrection. He is Messiah and Lord.

3. As Jewish followers of Yeshua, we are called to maintain our Jewish heritage and remain a part of our people, Israel, and the universal body of believers. This is part of our identity and a witness to the faithfulness of God.

4. As believers in the Scriptures, we subscribe to the divinity of Yeshua.

A new organization of Messianic congregations called the Fellowship of Messianic Congregations was formed last summer. The group is similar to the UMJC.

Jewish evangelism at the crossroads
In conclusion, the work of Jewish evangelism is more vulnerable than ever before. In the past, there was some confusion as to how to evangelize Jews. But now evangelicals are listening to the question, "Should Jews be evangelized?" Unfortunately, a dynamic response to this critical question has not come forth from the evangelical power structures.

Many highly-qualified Jewish Christians are committed to Jewish evangelism. However, few resources are available for facilities, equipment, and programs, because most evangelicals remain uncommitted to Jewish evangelism.

Many evangelical leaders continue to be reluctant to endorse missionary work to the Jews for fear of being accused of proselytizing. Thus, it is not surprising that the amount of money spent on Jewish evangelism by the Church in North America in 1984 was less than eight-tenths of one percent of the total amount spent on evangelism efforts worldwide.

The possibilities for expanding evangelistic efforts among the Jews are greater today than ever before. The key that unlocks the door is courage. Will evangelical Christians have the courage to proclaim the gospel among the Jewish people? Will evangelical Christians have the courage to support Jewish believers who desire to express their faith in a Jewish way? Will evangelical Christians have the courage to endure the subtle coercions by some Jews and nominal Christians to soften the message of Christ?

The fields of world Jewry are "white unto harvest." Evangelical Christians must courageously seize the opportunity while it is still day.

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Copyright © 1987 Evangelism and Missions Information Service (EMIS). All rights reserved. Not to be reproduced or copied in any form without written permission from EMIS.

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