First International/Interconfessional Congress of the Jewish Disciples of Jesus
Antoine Levy, OP, Dr. Mark Kinzer and Dr. David Rudolph
The first International and Interconfessional Congress of Jewish Disciples of Jesus met at the Kings University, Dallas for four days of discussions. More than forty congregational leaders and theologians from Messianic, Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, Evangelical and Pentecostal traditions resolved to develop a new inter-confessional structure to encourage deeper association and unity between Jewish disciples of Jesus across the range and diversity of their respective confessions.
Attendees came from Brazil, Canada, England, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Poland, Russia, Scotland and the USA. They held plenary sessions and group discussions to explore the formation of a new entity that will encourage Jewish expression of faith in Jesus as a “corporate expression of Am Israel within the body of Christ, a prophetic voice within that body and within the Jewish people.”
Jewish disciples of Jesus in Anglican, Baptist, Christian and Missionary Alliance, Episcopal, Lutheran, Messianic Jewish, Pentecostal, Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox and Wesleyan traditions worshiped together using a variety of liturgies, including the Mass in Hebrew and Messianic Jewish services.
The Congress was convened by the Helsinki Consultation on Jewish Continuity in the Body of Christ, an interconfessional group of theologians who are Jewish disciples of Jesus, and whose previous statements were a basis for discussion and further action. The participants elected a steering committee to develop the new structure over the next two years.
The participants issued the following joint statement:
RESOLUTION BEGINS
The First International/Interconfessional Congress of Jewish Disciples of Jesus
The Dallas Resolution (August 30, 2018)
1. We are Jews who worship the God of Israel, Creator of heaven and earth, who has revealed himself in Jesus the Messiah through the Holy Spirit. As disciples of Yeshua, we belong to a broad range of churches – Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, Evangelical, and Pentecostal – and to Messianic Jewish communities. Inheriting almost a decade of prayer, study, and collaboration by some of our members in the Helsinki Consultation, we are discovering mutual respect, understanding, and affection. We yearn to grow in our common life, to continue to learn from one another, and to support each other’s calling in the Spirit. We believe this is a precious gift from God that should be extended to all our Jewish brothers and sisters who, like us, have come to faith in Yeshua the Messiah. This gift has enabled many of us to overcome the solitude we have felt in our condition as Jewish disciples of Jesus, and we believe our communion with one another can be an instrument of strengthening and faith for all who follow Him.
2. Without relinquishing our ecclesial communities, we are convinced that Jewish disciples of Yeshua are called to live as a corporate expression of Am Israel within the body of Christ, a prophetic voice within that body and within the Jewish people. We believe that the loss of a Jewish expression of faith in Messiah is a wound within Am Israel and the body of Christ. The healing of this wound calls for the coming together of disciples of Jesus from among the Jews and the nations. This too can inspire disciples from among the nations to increase their efforts to come together with one another in unity. This then will contribute to the fulfillment of the prayer of Jesus that “all may be one.” Working towards this vision will require a visible structure that will reflect the breadth of Jewish disciples of Christ. That structure will be inter-confessional in nature and will incorporate the statements of the Helsinki Consultation as the basis of its theological work.
Practically, this organization may develop or share
mutual support and fellowship
paths towards repentance and mutual forgiveness among Jewish disciples
resources for deepening the identity of Jewish disciples of Jesus
joint prayer and the sharing of liturgical traditions
theological research
interconfessional dialogue and study programs of formation
witness to Yeshua networks for building relationships among young people and singles
support in combatting anti-Semitism
representation of Jewish disciples of Jesus to the wider Church
The members of this transitional Steering Group will be Boris Balter, Mark Kinzer, Fr. Antoine Levy, Lisa Loden, Mark Neugebauer, Lee Spitzer, and Igor Swiderski.
Signatories to the 2018 Dallas Resolution:
Amanda Achtman (Catholic), Ottawa, Canada
Boris Balter (Orthodox), Moscow, Russia
Andrew Barron (Messianic), Toronto, Ontario
Monique Brumbach (Messianic), Los Angeles, USA
Michael Calise (Messianic/Pentecostal), New York, USA
Mikhail (Misha) Chernyak (Orthodox), Warsaw, Poland
Steve Cohen (Lutheran), Tennessee, USA
Lawrence Feingold (Catholic), St. Louis, USA
Matthew Friedman (Messianic/Wesleyan), New Brunswick, Canada
Boris Goldin (Messianic), Florida, USA
Matheus Guimarães (Messianic), Brazil
Richard Harvey (Messianic), England
Debra Herbeck (Catholic), Michigan, USA
Mark Kinzer (Messianic), Michigan, USA
Elliot Klayman (Messianic), San Diego, USA
David Klein (Presbyterian), Washington State, USA
Sr. Eliana Kurylo (Catholic), Toulouse, France
Ryan Lambert (Messianic), Georgia, USA
Rev. Warren Leibovitch (Episcopal), Ontario, Canada
Fr. Francois Lestang (Catholic), Lyon, France
Fr. Antoine Levy (Catholic), Helsinki, Finland
Lisa Loden (Messianic), Netanya, Israel
Yuriy Mark (Baptist), Germany
Leonid Mazin (Messianic), Israel
Fr. Michael Meerson (Orthodox), New York, USA
David Moss (Catholic), St. Louis, USA
Mark Neugebauer (Catholic), Toronto, Canada
Sue Neugebauer (Catholic), Toronto, Canada
Fr. David Neuhaus (Catholic), Israel
Rich Nichol (Messianic), Boston, USA
Svetlana Panich (Orthodox), Moscow, Russia
Juliet Pressel (Catholic), Michigan, USA
Ephraim Radner (Episcopal), Toronto, Canada
Jennifer Rosner (Messianic), California, USA
David Rudolph (Messianic), Dallas, USA
Rev. Lee Spitzer (Baptist), New Jersey, USA
Greg Stone (Pentecostal), Dallas, USA
Igor Swiderski (Messianic), Germany
Ari Waldman (Messianic), Dallas, USA
Marty Waldman (Messianic), Dallas, USA
Ken Wilsker (Catholic), St. Louis, USA
Judith Wolfe (Catholic), Scotland
RESOLUTION ENDS
The Consultation founders, Dr. Mark Kinzer, President Emeritus of Messianic Jewish Theological Institute (USA), and Fr. Antoine Levy, OP, Professor at the School of Theology, University of Eastern Finland, expressed thanks to The King’s University, Dallas, for hosting the conference.
Rabbi Dr. Mark Kinzer (Messianic Jewish) said “we came together from many different backgrounds but displayed a remarkable unity of purpose considering our differing theological and cultural backgrounds. I am delighted that the future of our working together will now be developed further, and look forward with eager anticipation to our next meeting. It is important for the Body of Messiah and for the Jewish people that such a process continues.”
Father Antoine Levy, O.P., said “We have been meeting together for a number of years as a small group, but now we have a growing number of Jewish disciples of Jesus from across the confessions who wish to see more visible, corporate and communal expression of our unity and fellowship, and I am most encouraged at the opportunity we have to work on this together.”
For more information contact:
P.O. Box 2025
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106
USA
Antoine Lévy O.P.: +358 (0)50 304 2778
Ritarikatu 3 B A 4 00170 Helsinki
Finland
