The Relationship Between (Traditional) Mission Organizations
and (Messianic) Congregations
How much Torah is too much? How little Torah is too little?
How much Torah is too much? How little Torah is too little?
By Mitch Glaser, President of Chosen People Ministries
From The LCJE CEO Conference, France, May 2005
General Overview and Perspective
I can only speak from the perspective of the mission I represent. Chosen People Ministries (CPM) is somewhat distinct from other missions to the Jews in that we are Jewish in character. We do accept Gentiles to work with Chosen People, but those who serve as missionaries, whether Jewish or non-Jewish, usually take on some type of Jewish lifestyle and oftentimes are part of the Messianic congregations we plant or other local Messianic congregations.
This makes a big difference in the way we operate as a Mission.
Though the methodology and strategies employed by CPM vary, planting congregations is by far the norm for our work. We also minister through Messianic Centers and do traditional missionary work (handing out tracts, campus ministry, personal work, etc.); yet, starting Messianic congregations is still the main focus and primary means of effecting our ministry within the Jewish community.
This means that living a Messianic Jewish lifestyle is important to our missionary staff. The term Messianic is hard to define. We will never agree on a definition, so allow me to suggest a definition of what I mean by “Messianic” for the purposes of our discussion. To be Messianic implies that a person who has accepted Jesus as their Messiah lives in a manner which combines some degree of Jewish religious observance integrated with Christian doctrine and practice.
Chosen People Ministries does not attempt to govern the terms or expression of this integration.
The congregations planted by CPM are designed to be governmentally autonomous fellowships and therefore not subject to the parameters of the Mission. They are organically, but not institutionally related to CPM. However, the pastor or Rabbi (each congregation is free to choose the term they wish to use) of the congregations is often a member of our missionary staff and therefore subject to the Board and constituted leadership of CPM. The congregations themselves, however, are truly independent congregations.
Our staff and Board do not believe that the Mission has the authority to determine a staff member’s personal faith practices regarding Jewish observance. These are deemed personal decisions. We recognize that maintaining this position is a challenge as a leader’s life and choices regarding observance certainly impact his ministry. And, though the leader of the congregation is under the authority of the constituted leadership of their congregation, they also remain employees of CPM. This means that the leaders of congregations are answerable both to their local congregation and to the Mission.
The leadership of CPM has decided that matters related to Jewish or traditional Christian observance are personal. As such, the only basis for organizational discipline would for a worker to “step outside” the boundaries of the doctrinal statement in a more noticeable manner, especially as they conduct their public ministry.
The Importance of the Doctrinal Statement
This is why we require every worker to remain committed to the doctrinal statement of the Mission. The CPM doctrinal statement does not speak to matters related to Jewish observance.
On the other hand, there are some subtle points imbedded in the statement that could guide a worker towards maintaining a reasonable balance between Orthodox Christian doctrine and Jewish observance. For example, the CPM doctrine of Bibliology would not allow for a view that the Mishnah or any other Rabbinic writing has religious authority on par with Scripture, either the Old or New Testaments. If a CPM staff member were to cross a line in Jewish observance whereby he elevated the status of Jewish writings to equal that of Scripture, he would have “stepped outside” the doctrinal parameters of the Mission. This would also apply to a worker’s understanding of the Trinity, the Deity of Christ, the nature of salvation, etc.
This policy minimizes the “threat” that integration might turn into syncretism as the core doctrines of the faith are explicitly expressed in the CPM doctrinal statement. A worker’s Jewish observance, reflected in his personal life, work activities, and congregational practices and beliefs must remain within the boundaries of the CPM doctrinal statement – which are Orthodox from a Christian perspective.
Staff members who lead Messianic congregations are free to develop their own congregational doctrinal statements and to express their faith as they wish, but they must also be able to sign the CPM statement to remain on staff. Congregations are free to develop their own doctrinal statements, as they are not under the direct authority of the Mission.
How far will CPM allow a worker to go? We do not know yet. Our parameters are clearly outlined in both our doctrinal and mission statements. If workers remain within these parameters, then they are free to observe whatever and however they wish. Staff members are also free to affiliate with like-minded Messianic Jews.
We currently have staff who are part of the MJAA, UMJC, Hasheveinu, the new Russian Alliance of Messianic Congregations and the AMC (Association of Messianic Congregations). We would not have a problem with a staff member leading his congregation to be involved in one of these groups. However, it would be frowned upon if a staff member led their congregation into any fellowship – be it Messianic Jewish or Christian – which rejects some element of the CPM doctrinal statement. These incidents would be handled on an individual basis.
In Conclusion
So, how does a traditional mission to the Jews help its staff figure out how much or how little Torah is good for the soul? Allow me to provide a few suggestions:
- Encourage staff to receive solid, Orthodox Christian training.
- Encourage staff to seriously study Judaism.
- Find ways, through suggested books, seminars, or other means, to help your staff integrate Judaism and Christianity.
- Allow staff the freedom to choose their lifestyle and affiliations.
- Recognize that Jewish observance will usually be more important to the Jewish staff than to the Gentile staff because of family background and other factors.
- Most importantly, be respectful of differences within your ministry so that staff members with differing positions can learn from one another in a non-threatening and loving environment.
- Be sensitive to those workers, usually Jewish believers, who go through seasons of change and self-discovery regarding Jewish observance. Allow them the opportunity to experiment and come to their own conclusions without taking a stand against their efforts, an action that might potentially drive them away from Orthodox Christian doctrines.
But What if Hudson Taylor Spoke Yiddish?
Finally, I want to mention a growing conviction I have had for the last few years, one I believe is critical to our ongoing discussion of the appropriate level of Jewish observance for those who serve as missionaries to the Jewish people.
I live in Brooklyn, home to one of the largest observant Jewish populations in the world. This has given me a unique perspective on life and ministry among the more religious. I used to believe that if someone – or, more likely, a team of workers – would “take on” a more observant Jewish lifestyle, they would have a better chance of reaching the more religious and observant.
I do not believe this any more. Even if Hudson Taylor spoke Yiddish, dressed in black and wore payes, I believe his efforts would still have only minimal results.
The reason for this is that the religious can smell a phoney “walking across the Williamsburg bridge.” In fact, the missionary to the religious who was completely non-observant would probably do better than one who is observant not by conviction, but only for a missional purpose.
In my opinion, the only hope for reaching the religious lies with those Messianic Jews who believe God wants them to be Torah observant and are willing to take on that lifestyle – not merely for missional reasons (though there would be an element of this), but because they are convinced that this is the way God wants them to live. These unique and dedicated saints would have a view of the Torah that many of us within the traditional Jewish missions community would not share.
In effect, I am suggesting that, as traditional missions to the Jews, we must encourage some to be observant – yet fully Orthodox in terms of Christian faith and belief – if we are ever going to reach the millions of observant Jews in Brooklyn, Israel and across the globe. This is a challenge that should be taken seriously.
So…how much or how little Torah should a Jewish believer keep? I cannot answer for those who are not on the Chosen People Ministries staff, but I do pray that our movement will continue to have flexibility on these issues while remaining faithful to the core doctrines of the faith. It is the determination of the core that will challenge our movement and all of our ministries. Though I can’t speak for others, this model is an effective tool in maintaining unity within Chosen People Ministries and helps to focus attention on reaching "all" Jewish people for Messiah as well as creating a sense of freedom and mutual respect regarding the living out of our Jewishness in the Lord.
Mitch Glaser
mitchglaser@chosenpeople.com