Francois Olwage via Unsplash
John McKee delivers the June 2025 Outreach Israel News update. Today’s Messianic people, who are a part of Messianic Jewish congregations and synagogues, do not know how blessed they actually are. Many Messianic people do not have a Messianic assembly to attend, and as such usually have to fellowship in various other ways. Some of this may involve participation in a church, or a small home fellowship. What are some of the difficulties and challenges which need to be recognized, especially as we think about the future?
One of the greatest, perhaps unrecognized blessings, which many of today’s Messianic people have, is the ability to attend and be members of an established Messianic congregation or synagogue. While over fifty years ago, there were only a small handful of emerging Messianic Jewish fellowships, today hundreds of assemblies can be found across North America, with thousands in the world at large. Yet, the numbers of available congregations and synagogues dwarfs in comparison to the tens of thousands of evangelical churches one can attend. Many Messianic people do not, actually, have a congregation or synagogue they are able to regularly attend.
For many, the principle of Hebrews 10:25 is something very important to be heeded: “And do not neglect our own meetings, as is the habit of some, but encourage one another” (TLV). The need to be in consistent, regular community, with fellow brothers and sisters in the faith, is something very important to many. Many adhere to the simple notion of “There are no Lone Ranger Believers.” Others recognize how it is unnatural and psychologically damaging, for human beings to be left all by themselves, and not to be interacting with other human beings. The need for larger groups of Believers, to have regular times of corporate worship, teaching, fellowship, and socialization, is imperative. That is the main reason why synagogues and churches exist!
How do any of today’s Messianic people find fellowship? While it is much easier to think of various non-Jewish Believers, wanting to connect to things Messianic, having difficulty finding a Messianic group to be involved with—this can also be a challenge for many Messianic Jewish Believers as well. Being able to find the right environment for oneself and/or one’s family, is not always easy. While many are able to participate, in various ways, with the Messianic movement—many, because of their circumstances, are not always able to do this. Some Messianic people, because of the need for fellowshipping with brothers and sisters in the Lord, actually find themselves being involved in a church environment.
What are some of the categories of Messianic people fellowshipping with other Believers? How easy, or how difficult, can be it to specifically find oneself navigating through a diversity of spiritual environments?
Direct Involvement in a Messianic Congregation
The most ideal place for today’s Messianic people to regularly fellowship, is in a locally accessible Messianic Jewish congregation or synagogue. Messianic congregations were originally established by the Messianic Jewish pioneers, to be places where Jewish Believers in Yeshua could continue to practice their Jewish traditions and customs, and not assimilate into a wider, non-Jewish Christianity. A Messianic congregation or synagogue usually has its worship service structured similarly to what is witnessed in Conservative or Reform Judaism, including liturgy and Torah canting. The annual functions of a Messianic Jewish congregation are centered around the appointed times, and holidays such as Chanukah and Purim, as well as national Israeli celebrations. Messianic Jews being in the company of other Messianic Jews, able to lift up one another with their unique Jewish concerns actually mattering, is an imperative part of Messianic Jewish congregations. Where else, for example, is one’s Messianic Jewish son or daughter, going to be able to be bar/bat mitzvahed?
Non-Jewish Believers who have been supernaturally called by the Lord into the Messianic sphere of influence—certainly at its present phase of development—are going to spiritually succeed, by best being active participants in a local Messianic Jewish congregation. While the reasons vary for why a non-Jew has been specifically led by God into the Messianic movement, a local Messianic Jewish congregation is going to see him or her directly involved in a weekly and annual routine, connected to matters of the local Jewish community, able to best serve as co-laborers in the Messianic Jewish mission with Messianic Jewish Believers, and stay connected to matters of Israel. While often functioning as an independent assembly, most Messianic Jewish congregations and synagogues in North America are associated with organizations like the MJAA or UMJC, which operate similarly to various Protestant denominations. Our own family got its start in the Messianic movement by directly connecting to a Messianic Jewish congregation in 1995—and while it has been an interesting journey—we are to this day directly connected, as active members, to a Messianic Jewish congregation.
Indirect Involvement in a Messianic Congregation
The second most ideal situation for today’s Messianic people, to regularly fellowship, would be having an indirect involvement in a Messianic congregation or synagogue. Many people do not have a Messianic assembly which can be, at least easily, geographically accessed. Many of us who are full-time members of a Messianic Jewish congregation, can attest how there are people who drive an hour or more to attend Shabbat services and other events. So, it should not be too surprising to know how there are some, who want to be a part of a Messianic group, who may be located several hours away. These are people who tend to only be able to attend services once a month, or seasonally. Their involvement in a Messianic congregation is, by matter of geography, going to be more indirect than not. Likewise, some have limited mobility (particularly those who are elderly), and so their participation in a local Messianic congregation is indirect.
Some of those who indirectly participate in a Messianic congregation, because of where they are located, may actually be congregational members. The leadership may not have any problem with recognizing that not everyone can attend Shabbat services or other functions, all the time, and with that makes some effort to reach out to those who possibly live two to three hours away. Likewise, when someone or a family has to move away from their local congregation (often because of a situation like a job transfer), and they cannot find a Messianic group to be a part of in their new city or town, some effort might continue to be made to keep them a part of the community they left.
A number of years ago, indirect involvement in a Messianic congregation—without regular, in-person contact—would have seemed more irregular than not. Yet, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, lockdowns, livestreaming, and Zoom (among other things), it is now very possible for Messianic people to have indirect involvement in a Messianic congregation or synagogue. While for many people, this might begin and end at just watching the Shabbat service on Saturday morning, it may also extend to being a participant in various congregational functions, various classes or studies offered, and even receiving prayer and counseling. While an indirect involvement is not always ideal, it can and has served as a lifeline to many.
Indirect Involvement in the Messianic Movement
While many of us are aware of Jewish and non-Jewish Believers, who are able to directly or indirectly participate in a Messianic Jewish congregation—how much are you aware of those who indirectly participate in the Messianic movement? The reasons for this actually vary. While they can be dependent on geography, they may also involve the comfort level, or lack thereof, someone has with being involved in the Messianic movement.
The most obvious group which has indirect involvement in the Messianic Jewish movement, would be various evangelical Christians supportive of Israel, and/or identify as Christian Zionists. They may sporadically visit a Messianic Jewish congregation, but more likely will be seen to attend various conference-level events. These are non-Jewish Believers who value the Jewish Roots of their faith, but largely on an enrichment level. These are non-Jewish Believers who are not willing or able to make a strong commitment to the Messianic lifestyle, and they may actually find some aspects of the Messianic experience to be incompatible with their value system. We probably all know of many sincere Christian people, who indeed love Israel and love encountering things like Jesus in the feasts, but they are too much embedded in their church environment. Frequently, those who can only indirectly involve themselves with the Messianic movement, often conclude that an evangelical Protestant setting is better for their family and needs.
A group which is not so obvious, among those who indirectly involve themselves in the Messianic movement, are different Messianic Jews. This often starts with Messianic Jewish Believers who cannot find a local Messianic congregation or synagogue to be a part of, so they consider other options. Much of their participation in the Messianic Jewish movement might be at seasonal or annual events. Some Messianic Jews might actually have a Messianic congregation nearby, but for whatever reason, they may be looking for a different kind of Messianic congregation. Some Messianic Jews, as strange as it may seem to many, actually prefer more to be involved in a Christian church, but still want to maintain some kind of connection to Messianic Judaism. This may come from an occasional visit to a Messianic Jewish congregation or annual attendance at a conference. Still, there are Messianic Jews who want what they consider a more authentic Jewish synagogue experience. While it may create various levels of difficulty—especially with a public acknowledgement of their Yeshua faith—some may regularly attend a non-Messianic synagogue.
Indirect Involvement in a Church
For most of today’s Messianic Believers, their ideal would be to be actively involved in a local, vibrant, Messianic Jewish congregation. For a wide number, this is not possible, often because of geography, and because there are just not enough Messianic congregations to go around. What do people do, who have a strong need to be in direct fellowship and community with other Believers?
There are Messianic Jewish Believers, and non-Jewish Believers who identify as Messianic—who while associating themselves as being a part of the Messianic movement—often do not have a congregation or synagogue they can be a part of. At home, they may observe Shabbat and the appointed times, and other lifecycle activities. Yet, because of the lack of a Messianic community nearby, they make the choice to have some kind of indirect involvement in a local church.
How does this work? For a wide number of Messianic people, indirect involvement in a local, evangelical church, may simply be going to a Sunday morning worship service, and having some social engagement with members of the local community. Semi-regular participation in Sunday school or Wednesday night activities might also take place. Likewise, seeing that one’s children are involved in various youth programs, among peers their own age, might also occur.
Everyone’s circumstance is different. It is not a sin, at all, to worship God on Sunday, even with Sunday not being the Sabbath. Some Messianic people may decide to limit their participation in a local church, especially around traditional holidays like Christmas and Easter, whereas others may have a kind of hybrid Christian-Messianic involvement. For many, Messianic people being indirectly involved in a local church, is mainly for the purposes of fellowship, social interaction, and seeing that one’s children have a relatively godly environment to be around those of their own age.
For many of today’s Messianic people, both Jewish and non-Jewish, finding out that some are indirectly involved in a local, evangelical church, is something they can easily dismiss. Many of us have a Messianic Jewish congregation or synagogue to attend every Shabbat. If we are ever found in a church, it is normally to go to some function like a wedding or funeral. But we never think that any of us, possibly, would need to ever consider indirect involvement in a church, even if just for fellowship with other Believers. Yet, for a number of Messianic people, this might be something they will be forced to consider, in the not too distant future.
Many Messianic Jewish congregations, in the North American Diaspora, have aging rabbis and leaders, who are already senior citizens, and would be retired in other religious venues. They often do not have a clear succession plan. What would happen, God forbid, if your congregational leader suddenly passed away, with no guidelines in place to follow afterward, and a successor already in the works? Is it at all possible that your congregation could actually fold within a few years? Indirect involvement in a church, by some Messianic people, can definitely take place as a result of a Messianic congregation closing—which itself can usually be caused by leadership changes and alterations.
Direct Involvement in a Church
It is difficult for many Messianic people to be indirectly involved in an evangelical church environment—lacking a Messianic congregation to be a part of—because indirect involvement can quickly become direct involvement. Many are able to keep indirect involvement in a church, mainly for matters of social interaction and fellowship—carefully balanced with their home participation in Shabbat, the festivals, and various lifecycle matters. Others, however, are not. Various non-Jewish Believers, especially, having gone through a season of being enriched by their faith heritage in Israel’s Scriptures and Jewish Roots, do end up returning to church. They may still have a deep regard for the Jewish people, and recognize the centrality of Israel in God’s plan for the world. But the Messianic movement just was not for them, and it was unable to offer what they needed, particularly if one has a young family. And, such persons may not have been that called by the Lord into the Messianic movement.
While there are many Believers who were once involved in the Messianic movement, who are later seen to return to church for any number of reasons—a number of them will have challenges, some severe, because of what they learned during their Messianic season. Some, when attending Sunday school or a Bible study, are going to feel conflicted regarding when to, or when not to, speak. Many of them are going to know things from their study of the Torah and Jewish background of the New Testament, which most Christians are unaware of. The temptation to “correct” misunderstandings can be very great. More significantly, what is one to do, the first time one hears a remark to the effect that “the Church” is now the “New Israel”? Even more pressing, while praying for peace and a cessation of hostilities in the Middle East is one thing—how does one, who has been in the Messianic Jewish movement, respond to a comment like, “I can’t believe what Israel is doing to Palestine?”
Other people and families, once having been involved in the Messianic movement, return to a Christian church environment—precisely because they want to go back to the way things were for them. While this can indeed involve wanting to return to the traditions of Sunday church, Christmas, Easter, and an unlimited diet—more frequently than not, leaving a Messianic congregation or synagogue, and returning to church, can indeed involve how a non-Jewish person or family might have felt treated. While each Messianic Jewish congregation or synagogue is different, it is a fact that many non-Jewish Believers do feel like they are treated like second class citizens in the Commonwealth of Israel (Ephesians 2:11-13). There are, to be sure, many Messianic assemblies which approach Jewish and non-Jewish Believers as fellow brothers and sisters, and as “one new man” (Ephesians 2:15). Yet, almost no Messianic congregation can be said to be like an evangelical egalitarian church, with a gifts-based service model for both men and women. More limitations on service, than opportunities for service, tend to be found.
Some people, who were sincerely intrigued by their faith heritage in Israel’s Scriptures, and the Jewish Roots of the faith, are not able to make it a permanent feature of their spiritual experience. Some of the over-emphasis one can see, on distinctions among God’s people over-played at the expense of the common faith we are to have in the Lord, can be too much. The kind of religious culture where human differences are more important than our shared need for Yeshua’s salvation, is a definite cause why many non-Jewish Believers are seen to leave the Messianic movement, and return to church. This does not always mean an abandonment of Israel or the Jewish people, but it does mean a dismissal of a great deal of the religious culture one may encounter in Messianic Judaism.
Yet, some people having felt treated as less-than-equal in a Messianic assembly—only to return to church and find themselves treated as an equal—may indeed let negative feelings of Messianic Jews, and even Jews, go uncontrolled. Some may feel that they wasted time being a part of the Messianic movement, and actually begin to harbor feelings of unforgiveness to, at least, soft anti-Semitism.
Doing Messianic Things on the Side or Alone
One group of people, which definitely exists, are those who try to become part of a Messianic congregation, and/or they try to be involved with a local Christian church—doing things like Shabbat or the festivals or various Torah lifecycle events at home. Eventually, for reasons only known to the various parties, they end up having a very small, informal, family-based fellowship. Sadly, being part of a small group of only several families, may be the consequences of no longer trusting larger, more established religious institutions. For certain, being part of a small home fellowship, of only a few families and individuals, is closer to the First Century model in the Book of Acts. At the same time, because of their small size, tensions and problems in such small home fellowships, can be more quantitatively felt. Over the years, our ministry has certainly interacted with many people and leaders who are part of small, unofficial groups, doing Messianic things. We are also quite aware of how many of these groups can disintegrate rather quickly, over the smallest of disagreements.
What will the future bring?
The future of the Messianic Jewish movement, whose main hub of operation is presently in the North American Diaspora, is something unknown. It is well known how there are many congregations and synagogues, whose main rabbi or leader, is getting older, and does not really have a succession plan in mind. What this could mean, unfortunately, is that a number of Messianic assemblies operating today, may not be around in the next ten to twenty years. While this is a sad matter to contemplate, many should be able to agree that as “the end-time move of God,” the main hub of operation for the Messianic Jewish movement, should necessarily shift toward the Land of Israel. That does not mean, however, that there will not be a sizeable number of Jewish and non-Jewish Believers, in the Diaspora, committed to the Messianic mission and lifestyle.
If we are entering into a possible future, where there may actually be fewer, and not more, Messianic Jewish congregations and synagogues—what might that mean for various Jewish and non-Jewish Believers? Many Messianic Jews may decide to more frequently associate with a non-Messianic synagogue. Suffice it to say, this will present challenges for many, and whether they will be able to maintain their belief in Yeshua. Many non-Jewish Believers will seek out fellowship at a church, especially if they have young families. While maintaining faith in the Messiah should not be a problem, will Messianic things be done at home, alongside of church participation? Even more so, given the uncertainties of our future, will their church be supportive of Israel and the Jewish people—or supersessionism/replacement theology?
It is to be noted how Messianic people navigating different religious environments, can be affected by one’s disposition—every bit as one’s geographic circumstances. In many Messianic congregations, there are high numbers of widowers and widows, as well as older single men and single women. While there are certainly younger people as well, the Messianic movement is not often as demographically balanced as the Jewish Synagogue or evangelical Protestantism. When single people in the Messianic movement get older, and contemplate marriage and family, their future association can and does get challenged. There are Messianic Jews, who have seen the large number of non-Jewish people in the Messianic movement, and who have actually ended up leaving and going to a non-Messianic synagogue, as a result. And if a young family, they may want their children raised in a more “authentically Jewish community.” There are non-Jewish people who, as single men and women, have tolerated some of the growing pains and apparent limitations of the Messianic movement—but once they get married and have children, often do decide that a more established, church environment is better for them.
As today’s Messianic people in 2025 look into the future, and they consider who they might be spiritually associating with—there is a tossed salad of options. While the best option, by far, would be for Messianic Jewish and non-Jewish Believers to be part of a welcoming, robust, effective Messianic Jewish congregation or synagogue—that is too idealistic, especially when considering the gravity of our times. When this is not available, each of us needs to trust the Lord, that He will have His people placed in the locations where they need to be, in order to serve others where He has assigned them. Because, regardless of what some of the specifics or particulars are, the Messianic mission of Jewish outreach, evangelism, Israel solidarity, and standing against anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism will continue all the way to the Second Coming!
