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Online List of Messianic Congregations

By Daniel Lancaster | Comments (6) | Posted on July 14, 2008

In the mailroom at First Fruits of Zion, one of the most common requests we receive is a query regarding local communities and Messianic congregations. A person begins to study Torah and soon he or she is hungering for fellowship with other believers who are on the same path of discipleship. We often get letters and emails asking us, "Can you please tell me if there are any Messianic congregations in my area?" or "Can you please tell me if there are any Torah Club groups near me?"

Torah Club member can find one another by participating in our on-line Torah Club forum. (Membership does have privileges.) But that won't help you find a congregation.

Unfortunately, our customer privacy policy prevents us from sharing information about our subscribers. Furthermore, we have a policy not to recommend or endorse any congregations. If we did, it might be perceived as a slight against another competing community. Also, the messianic movement can be a strange and dangerous place. It's difficult to recommend a congregation to someone without knowing the people and leadership firsthand.

One solution would be to create a central online list of messianic congregations and communities. Various lists like this do exist on the internet already, but they are controlled lists. That means that the list manager might remove your congregation if he doesn't like your theology, or he might not allow you to post your congregation at all.

That's why I was interested to discover a growing listing of messianic congregations on Wikipedia under the heading "List of Messianic and Hebrew Christian Congregations." Click here to link to the list.

It is organized regionally and already has over 150 congregations listed. Of course, 150 congregations is just a small fraction of the whole, so let's populate the list. If you attend a messianic congregation or are a congregational leader, consider placing your congregation name and url on the list. Since it's a "wiki-list" you can add the pertinent information yourself. It is a great way to increase your visibility on the web. As the list becomes larger and more comprehensive, it will be used more and more by people looking for fellowship. It might help grow your community.

If you are looking for a place to fellowship, check the list to see if there is a congregation in your area.

A few words of caution though. The messianic movement (like conspiracy theories) is highly over-represented on the internet. Just because a person has come up with a Hebraic sounding name and purchased a url does not mean that he represents a legitimate community.

Also, it's important to realize that "messianic" is a broad term that encompasses a vast diversity of theological ideologies and religious impulses which have almost nothing in common with one another. There are many different flavors of messianic. Because a "wiki-list" is uncontrolled, you might find anything on it. Extreme caution is prudent

D. Thomas Lancaster
11 Tammuz, 5768

About the Author: Daniel Lancaster is FFOZ’s Director of Education and regular contributor to messiah magazine. He is the author of Torah Club Volumes Two, Four and Five, and the FFOZ books Mystery of the Gospel, Restoration and more.

Visitor Comments

this is a very good admonishment...thank you for sharing..

Posted by: D.A. Fluker Jr. | July 14, 2008 4:01 PM

I can't blame FFOZ for its policy. It is a Messianic jungle out there. I've looked at some lists and seen groups with which I was familiar and thought, "Good grief, I can't believe they let those nuts on their list!" The list owner, of course, is probably completely unaware of the conspiracy theorists, control freaks, militia sympathizers, and other ne'er-do-wells who have nestled themselves in amongst the legitimate congregations.

I hope lots of FFOZ-influenced congregations will list themselves on Wikipedia's site. We desperately need some sanity out there.

Posted by: MJ Belko | July 14, 2008 4:09 PM

I have found a few groups reliably with http://communityconnector.net/. I don't run it or know who does but thought I would share. :)

Posted by: Brady Stephenson | July 14, 2008 6:42 PM

I have some material that may help out in this area.

Dr. Steven Hassan, a professional psychologist who helped pioneer non-coercive exit counseling for members of destructive groups (i.e. he doesn't advocate or participate in kidnapping and forcible deprogramming), has outlined four criteria to look for when examining any group, religious or not, to see whether or not it is a destructive group.

I use his material extensively in my own anti-cult work. I can type up a summary of the four criteria if FFOZ would like, and even tailor it to show what to look for specifically at a Messianic congregation.

Let me know if you're interested. For more information about Dr. Hassan you can review his website at [url withheld].

Posted by: David Smith | July 14, 2008 9:41 PM

Yes, extreme caution is needed. It's unfortunate but true. Our fellowship had to remove itself from web listings. We had a couple of bad experiences with weirdos coming. Our Shabbat meetings are in our home, so we felt for the protection of our children and families attending we had no choice but to remove ourselves. This is very sad for good people who are honestly seeking a place for fellowship and don't have an agenda.

Jeri Murray

Posted by: Jeri Murray | July 15, 2008 7:37 AM

I really like the idea of having some way for us Torah people to find each other, but there definitely are problems to being "out there." We also have a small home fellowship and so are reluctant to put our group name out for just anyone. On the other hand, how will we grow if nobody knows we exist? One tactic we use is to only publish a phone number and insist on an off-site "interview" before we invite someone to come to the house. One or two of our guys go for coffee with whomever contacts us (usually through word-of-mouth). So far that's worked quite well for us.

Posted by: Anne Mandell | July 16, 2008 2:43 PM

In Breaking Bread we present a clear exposition on the traditional blessings before and after meals. Includes halachah, detailed explanations and an introduction to the table blessings of the early believers.

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