THE JEWISH CHRISTIAN CHURCH IN ISRAEL - NOW AND IN 2010

An Attempt to Read Trends and a Proposed Response to Them

The following was presented at the recent Christian Witness to Israel Annual Staff Conference. It was later sent to various prominent and knowledgeable individuals in Israel for their comment and critique, with a special request to note positive trends overlooked in the original version of the paper.

An old rabbinic saying informs us that since the destruction of the temple, prophecy was taken from the wise and given to fools. Although painfully aware of the truth of this statement, the following discussion is an attempt to predict the future in light of present trends among Jewish Christian believers in Israel. Originally prepared for discussion among HaGefen staff in Israel, it is made public both for criticism and for evaluation.

DEMOGRAPHICS, STATISTICS AND NUMERICAL GROWTH

At the Present: Over the last twelve years, a major factor in the growth of the church has been the significant immigration from the former Soviet Union. Presently, Russian speakers make up about 50% of the Jewish Christian population, including approximately 40 Russian speaking churches which identify themselves as Jewish Christian (or, as preferred by a majority, Messianic Jewish) believers. A relatively large number of Messianic Jewish immigrants from the USA, active in the Movement in the country of their birth, have made a significant impact on the community in Israel.

Another major factor in the growth of the church among Jews in Israel has been the emergence of a second generation of Jewish Christians, brought up in Jewish Christian homes.

The third major factor has been evangelism. The number of Jewish Christians, their spouses and children in Israel today is somewhere around 7,000. Of these, under 900 are adult fluent Hebrew readers and under 3,500 are fluent Hebrew speakers. Some 1,500 are more comfortable in Russian, 500 in Amharic and the remainder various other languages. Many of the immigrant's children are more comfortable in Hebrew than in the language of their parents. The number of children under the age of 18 is estimated at around 800.

At last count there were 70+ groupings of Hebrew-speaking Jewish Christians who describe themselves as churches (or, congregations) and 53 which describe themselves as house groups. In addition, there are just under 30 Russian-speaking congregations and house groups, and 6 Amharic speaking local communities. The latter are organized into two national groupings. The average size of a Jewish Christian congregation is 80. Most of the leadership was born overseas and a majority of these were also brought up and converted outside of Israel.

In the future: With immigration having slowed down to a trickle and evangelism showing no signs of increase beyond what may be expected due to numerical growth, it may safely be assumed that the Jewish Christian community in Israel will continue to grow, but at a slower pace. Assuming a +10% growth per annum, with no extraordinary events, it is estimated that by the year 2010 the Jewish Christian community will number approximately 20,000. At least half of these will have been brought up in Israel and therefore would be fluent Hebrew readers and about another 3,000 would be fluent Hebrew speakers, with limited reading ability in that language. Some of the house groups will disappear, new ones will come into being, others become congregations and still others remain as they are, with some numerical growth. The foreign-language congregations are likely to decrease because their young people will be more comfortable in Hebrew and anxious to be part of the society in which they live. Hence, the majority of Russian speaking congregations will either adopt Hebrew as their main language or disappear.

It is estimated that the number of Hebrew speaking congregations in the year 2010 will be close to 150, with 5 or so Russian speaking congregations and a significant decrease in the number of Jewish Christians in the Amharic speaking community. Perhaps as many house groups will then exist. The average size of a congregation will probably be around 150. The relative number of Israeli born and bred Jewish Christians will be on the increase, giving the country its first significant wave of adult second generation Christians. Most of the congregations will likely be led by individuals from this group.

EDUCATION

At the Present:

The majority of congregational leaders have no theological or biblical education and have very limited or no previous experience of congregational life. Their decisions as to church structure and function are ad hoc, with little biblical scrutiny. Little systematic doctrinal and expository teaching is practiced in the churches, resulting in a fervent, dedicated but untaught community that lacks the means to make doctrinal evaluations.

Most of the emphasis in congregational teaching is on contemporary needs and conflicts. Biblical backgrounds, biblical history, a systematized understanding of the message of the Bible are greatly lacking. The ability to identify theological nuances and to discuss differences calmly, with mutual respect and yet with conviction is sadly rare.

A sizable number of immigrants from the USA and the former USSR now in the churches enjoy a high level of professional and secular education. The number of Jewish Christians studying in Israel's universities is on the rise. Nevertheless, in the congregations there is a prevalent suspicion of the intellect with regard to things spiritual, reminiscent of New Age assumptions. The attitude creates a preference for books which prescribe How To... or provide a biographical account of How I Coped with ... rather than a careful examination of the data of Scripture. An increasingly self-and feeling-orientated version of the faith is leading to a growing neglect of the word of God, an aversion to a discussion of truth (dogma) or to church discipline while encouraging a style of leadership that is people orientated rather than engaged in the inculcation of conscious, determined obedience to God's will as revealed in the scriptures. Consequently, there is a growing fascination with various forms of counseling, which is undertaken by untrained individuals, without a meaningful effort to relate their respective counseling ministries to the local churches to which their counselees worship, often subsuming the role of the Pastor instead of encouraging the counselee to find succour in his or her own church, and without subjecting their ministries to a congregation. Often, such endeavours are undertaken in order to satisfy the emotional needs of the counselors, or instead of a faithful pulpit ministry.

A suspicion of anything gentile (except gentile money) has led some to an unwillingness to give heed to the views of non-Jewish disciples of Christ and to an over-emphasis of original or Jewish thought. As a result, doctrinal convictions are very shallow and there are cases in which basic tenets of the Faith are openly questioned, particularly the trinity, the deity of Christ, the need for repentance and a regeneration that imply moral and spiritual transformation, and in some cases - even the need for faith in Christ in order to salvation.

Two colleges offer Israeli Jewish Christians different versions of biblical and theological training. To date, both have not been able to break away from the partisan image they have projected, each serving very different but coherent points of view. Another attempt to provide lower level biblical and theological education has failed to reach a significant part of the Jewish Christian population and has not reached any of the leaders. Other efforts to establish training courses for leaders attract little but slightly growing interest.

In the Future:

The lack or substantial opportunities for biblical education and the personality-focused styles of present church leadership (or which more anon) leave little room to expect a significant change in this direction. Confusion, both moral and theological, will probably increase. A growing number will have never been taught any system of belief and the likelihood of the Jewish Christian movement inadvertently transforming itself into a cult will increase by the year 2010. On the other hand, the growing number of well educated Israeli Jewish Christians gives rise for the hope that a desire will be found to make up for the depressing lack of responsible Christian thinking that is founded firmly on the word of God, is doctrinally informed and spiritually motivated and that is able to abide with differences of opinion in a generous manner that does not lead to compromise.

CHURCH STRUCTURES AND FUNCTION

At the Present:

There are almost as many church structures as there are congregations, but the most common denominator of the congregations is their leader-orientated structure, according to which the whole congregation is largely dependent on the leader. He determines what views are to be taught in the congregation, how the congregation is to function, who is to be introduced to any influential role in the congregation, which notices of extra-congregational activities will be given, how the congregation's money is to be spent, with which other congregation will his congregation cooperate and who is to be told not to attend the congregation's activities. All too many congregational leaders tend to be driven by an ambition which leaves little room for other competent men to develop alongside them. Substantial disagreement with the leader is looked upon as rebellion and private initiatives are frowned upon. On the other hand, heresy is seldom challenged or disciplined and immorality, especially in personal relations, is left unchallenged.

In many cases, congregational funds are run through private banking accounts, no budgets are approved by the congregation, no auditing of the accounts is done and no full financial reports are given to the congregation. Few congregations have a significant saving plan and few function on the basis of a written Statement of Faith. Even fewer have constitutional bylaws or act in accordance with the constitutional bylaws under which some of them are legally organized.

In very few congregations are the Elders and the congregational leader elected and in most, the Elders are also involved in the diaconal responsibilities of the church. Congregants are glibly referred to various social aid funds, without the church accepting any moral responsibility for the individual or family referred.

The general rise in the standards of living in Israel, the numerical growth of the congregations and the slowly rising economic status of individual Jewish Christians are being translated into the increasing number of congregations which are purchasing their own properties. In some cases the sheer numbers which attend the services has imposed the need for such properties. A growing social visibility has accompanied numerical growth, including higher profile evangelism and newspaper advertising.

Israel presently has an estimated 300,000 foreign workers, of whom about one half are illegal. Among these there are as many as 1,500 Christians, presently meeting in their own congregations. A growing number of churches are developing Sabbath schools for their children, leading to a growing demand for suitable literature.

After many years during which the gap between the local congregations and foreign Christian organisations and denominations represented in Israel grew, an increasing number of foreign organisations are establishing work in Israel through the instrumentality of local Jewish Christians, who are expected to serve the interests of these organisations above and beyond their commitments to their local congregations.

Evangelism is largely church-based (and so it should be), and is growing as more and more Jewish Christians in Israel are willing to be open about their faith. Social involvement is also on the rise, including a hesitant willingness to engage society on moral issues such as abortion.

In the Future:

No significant change seems to be likely in the area of church leadership and function, especially due to the lack of role models and a generally superficial engagement with the scriptures. These factors may change if the Spirit of God will choose to move upon the troubled waters of present congregational realities but a change is unlikely under any other circumstances. Counseling an important aspect of modern church life - is likely to replace the ministry of the word as the means by which behaviour is challenged and modified.

It is expected that, by the year 2010, some 50% of the congregations will own their own properties and that the average size of an Israeli Hebrew speaking congregation will be approximately 150. The rising economic viability of Jewish Christians in Israel will, hopefully, lead to a significant improvement in the economic state of the churches, although true financial independence will still be a decade or so away. It will most likely also lead to greater social visibility.

As the community grows in numbers, the number of children brought up in local churches will also grow. Many of these will learn over the course of time to conduct themselves naturally as Jews and as Christians in Israel, becoming a more acceptable part of the complicated embroidery of Israeli society.

A goodly number of the illegal foreign workers are likely to have achieved legal status by the year 2010. Certainly, many of their children, born in Israel, will be legal residents of the land. It is reasonable to assume that some of these will find their way to join Hebrew-speaking congregations, increasing the number of non-Jewish members of the congregations. But the pressure to melt into the fabric of Israeli society will probably not encourage a broadening of vision and concerns among Israeli Jewish Christians.

The number of foreign organisations working in the country will probably increase, leading to a further weakening of commitment on the part of some Israeli Jewish Christians to their congregations and to the establishment of new congregations led by these Israeli staff members of the organisations.

Church based evangelism will probably increase, while the National Evangelistic committee will become increasingly irrelevant and unnecessary. Jewish Christians will probably not encourage more social engagement beyond spasmodic efforts to serve society in various ways.

INTERCONGREGATIONAL RELATIONS

At the present:

In light of the nature of church structure and function described above, inter-congregational relations are largely based on personal relations between the leaders rather than of shared convictions. As a result, they are almost non-existent on a national basis, although found in specific pockets where leaders have befriended each other. There is no evidence of convictions overcoming personalities and personal friendships or animosities, creating an objective basis for cooperation and mutual support. Individuals disciplined in one congregation can almost always find a home in one or another of the congregations of the area. Maverick, self-styled evangelists roam the country and travel overseas to collect support for grandiose and expensive projects without being expected to meet the most meager of ethical standards and while enjoying a following that often brings the Israeli church into disrepute.

The National Evangelistic Committee is made up of congregational leaders who seldom participate themselves in the activities they organize, and who fail to attract among congregations the enthusiasm and dedication necessary for this important aspect of the work. Some churches have engaged in evangelistic outreaches of their own and all are involved in encouraging their congregants to gossip the Gospel, but cooperative efforts in this as well as others areas generally fail to attract wide support.

The Intercongregational Fellowship of Hebrew Speaking Congregations (IFHSC) has been widened to include the Amharic and Russian-speaking congregations among the Jews, but continues to exclude the Arab congregations and has not succeeded in attracting the Russian speaking communities. The latter have begun discussing the possibility of establishing their own national Fellowship. The IFHSC is just that: a loose fellowship of leaders, without a mandate to act in any way on behalf of the congregations. Nevertheless, it has become a useful forum for discussion and a means of bringing together younger leaders and newcomers in the country. The more veteran congregational leaders tend to avoid the meetings of the Fellowship.

In the Future:

It is expected that the IFHSC will be transformed by the year 2010 into some form of cooperative body, with a measure of liberty to act on behalf of member congregations. But it is likely to exclude a significant number of local congregations who, for various reasons, will not tow the party line. Present unwillingness to establish objective grounds and standards for fellowship and to respect differences might transform the IFHSC into an instrument for the promotion of personal and partisan interests. On the other hand, if a reaction to the weaknesses inherent in the present state of affairs set it, the IFHSC could become one of the means by which a healthier context for fellowship will be created.

THE PRESSURE TO BE SEEN TO BE JEWISH

At the Present: until recently, the Messianic Movement made few inroads among the congregations. There were one or two individuals who made much of Jewishness, but this had little appeal among Israeli Jewish Christians. The increased number of non Jews and the children of mixed marriages in the congregations, combined with the appearance in Israel of a number of financially competent Messianic Jews from America and the large number of immigrants from the former Soviet Union of individuals who had been shorn of their Jewishness by the authorities, has created a desire to explore, experiment with and emphasize Jewishness within the context of a professed faith in Jesus.

As a result, important doctrines of the faith have been obscured, particularly those which most obviously distinguish Judaism from Christianity. Most of the more veteran congregations reject this tendency, but it has impacted some. Messianic terminology forged in America has more or less been accepted among most Israeli Jewish Christians, along with the rejection of anything not overtly Jewish or capable of being modified so as to appear Jewish.

Israeli society is increasingly coming under the influence of Orthodox Judaism and thus increasingly losing its democratic ommitments. Mr.Average Israeli is repeatedly called upon to embrace rabbinic Orthodoxy. A large number of Israelis whose parents hail from the Arabic speaking world, and who have consider themselves disenfranchised by Israeli society, look upon Orthodoxy as a means of asserting their communal dignity and getting even with the Ashkenazi Jews, who form a small majority of the population. One expression of this trend is to be found in repeated efforts to impose a religious censorship which would, among other liberties, outlaw evangelism.

In the Future:

The demographics seem to imply a continued trend toward an emphasis on things Jewish, especially among those who either are not Jewish or whose Jewishness is suspect. Presumably, the Israeli-Arab conflict will have been resolved by the year 2010, resulting in an increasing conflict within Israeli society as to the nature of the State: rabbinical or liberal and democratic. Rabbinicism will continue to seek to dominance and probably will have achieved - and lost - a good measure of authority in the life of the people, resulting in a rejection of its overbearing dictums and a further secularisation of society. Possibly, this will also lead to a change among Jewish Christians. But it is expected that, until this happens, the Jewish Christian community will be increasingly divided between those who insist upon Jewishness as an essential ingredient of their faith, and those who deny rabbinicisms right to determine how God is to be served and worshiped.

If the Orthodox fail in their attempts to enact restrictive legislation against the Gospel by the year 2010, it is unlikely that they will ever succeed. On the other hand, the Israeli church will have to learn to contend with any legislation that might be passed.