Part of what amazes me about the Gospels is how much time Jesus spent pouring into a relatively small number of people. Jesus taught crowds and healed the masses, but during His three years of ministry, He called just a few disciples to hear His teachings firsthand and observe the ways He served and healed others.
He chose twelve disciples who, with the exception of Judas, would go on to lead and guide His growing number of followers after His resurrection and ascension. Those years of hearing the words and seeing the works of the Master prepared them to be His witnesses “in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Sitting at the feet of Jesus prepared these disciples for a lifetime of ministry to others.
This training illustrates how crucial it is for us to pour our lives into others. Taking the time to equip disciples who will go into the world to disciple others creates a ripple effect that shapes the church for generations. This is why I am so proud of our Charles L. Feinberg Center for Messianic Jewish Studies. We offer a Master of Divinity or certificate in Messianic Jewish Studies in partnership with Biola University’s Talbot School of Theology. These students are dedicated men and women, both Jewish and Gentile, training to reach Jewish people around the world with the gospel.
A Unique Curriculum
Students at the Feinberg Center take the same kinds of courses as most future pastors and missionaries, including in-depth biblical studies, evangelism, preaching, and counseling. We also add specialized courses that prepare our students for service among God’s chosen people. Our course in Jewish history sensitizes students to the turning points that have shaped Jewish life over the centuries. Rabbinic theology equips our students to better understand the religious Jewish community, which is growing and mostly unreached.
A tailored class in messianic apologetics trains our students to respond to Jewish objections to the gospel. One of our instructors says, “What sets the Feinberg Center apart as truly unique is the fact that Jewish history, Jewish culture, Jewish religious thought, and Jewish literature are all integrated into everything we do, every class we offer.” And this is what is needed in today’s complex world to train missionaries to the Jewish people.
A Tight-Knit Community
Our Feinberg program is not just an academic course of study. As one of our current students says, “I also see Feinberg not just as a seminary, but as a family I belong to and where I am making roots, ultimately to serve the Messiah.” Students learn in community. Currently, we have students from eight countries. Some had built careers or obtained advanced degrees before discerning a call to full-time ministry. Whatever their unique journey, they are bound by a common love for the Messiah, Israel, and the Jewish people.
A Strategic Setting
Our location in New York City is strategic. This is especially true for our in-person cohort, who often pray, study, and eat together. As one of our instructors says, “It’s not just a classroom experience. Learning and serving in Brooklyn with the Jewish community right outside your door enhances what you are learning in the classroom as our students meet Jewish people in the most Jewish city in the world outside of Israel.”
Students actively serve alongside experienced missionaries, some of whom teach in the seminary program. Some distribute tracts on the streets. Others volunteer at a Jewish soup kitchen. Several students are part of our House of Living Waters outreach among Jewish students at New York University and Columbia University. One current student noted that the Feinberg Center has been a wonderful way to include practical training with a great seminary education. As they serve together, they form not only friendships but also ministry partnerships for years to come.
We welcome online students committed to Jewish ministry as well. This expands our reach around the world, especially to those in Israel. Several of our Israeli staff who cannot feasibly relocate deepen their theological knowledge and ministry skills while continuing their much-needed work in the Holy Land. I cannot overstate the importance of strengthening ministry leaders in Israel, especially in light of the war and trauma that Israelis have endured since October 7, 2023.
A Historic Partnership
The Feinberg program is a partnership between Chosen People Ministries and Biola University’s Talbot School of Theology. We combine our years of experience in ministry among the Jewish people with Talbot’s expertise as one of the largest seminaries in the country. Talbot shares our belief in biblical inerrancy and a conviction about God’s ongoing plan for the people of Israel. Students take most of their theology courses with Talbot professors. The Jewish studies courses are taught by our well-educated and experienced staff.
We first offered accredited courses through Talbot in 2007, but our connection to the school goes back decades. In the 1930s, Charles Feinberg, who was preparing to go to rabbinical school, came to faith in Jesus the Messiah, in part through the witness of the American Board of Missions to the Jews (now Chosen People Ministries). Having devoted his life to ministry and theological education, he was one of the founders of Talbot School of Theology and became its first dean. He also published several books, especially on Old Testament topics, which were key in his coming to faith.
Dr. Feinberg was one of my heroes in the faith. He was a legend among the young Jewish believers like me who came to the Lord during the Jesus movement of the 1970s. His scholarship and leadership shaped a generation of Christian leaders and a whole generation of new missionaries to the Jewish people. We were proud to name the building where we offer these classes the Feinberg Center in his honor. Both Talbot and Chosen People Ministries are thrilled to see Dr. Feinberg’s legacy continue through these students who study the Word of God at the Feinberg Center.
A Far Reach
It is a great joy to watch people grow as they progress through the program. One young Jewish woman from the Middle East who is finishing her first year wrote,
I am so honored and grateful to be part of Feinberg. Since my training here, I have grown in my Jewish identity and faith, which has allowed me to be in ministry in a much more impactful way. I am receiving a full curriculum that helps me develop both theologically and spiritually. Through the teaching, I am able to articulate why Jesus is the Messiah for the Jewish people and stand against antisemitism in a much stronger way.
I host Sabbath meals, and we welcome many Jewish people who hear about Jesus, some for the first time. This is such an honor, and I am so grateful for the provision God has allowed and for the support of people.
Another current student shared,
The Feinberg program has significantly deepened my theological understanding. I am thankful for the opportunity to take rigorous theology courses that utilize varied learning approaches. For example, in one class I am studying a biblical language, in another deepening my prayer life, and in a third conducting theological research. The diverse learning experiences in each course mean that each day is fresh yet challenging. All of this while living in Brooklyn, New York, the Jewish capital of the United States. The Feinberg program has been a great experience!
An Affordable Path
We offer heavily subsidized tuition to all students. This is possible because our instructors, including myself, are Chosen People Ministries missionaries who raise our own support. We do not receive a salary for our teaching; it is part of our normal ministry work. The Feinberg Center also has apartments for in-person students who relocate for the program. New York City is one of the most expensive areas of the country, so this heavily subsidized housing has helped many students who otherwise could not have come.
Dr. Mitch Glaser 