Intersections of the Dorot and Chetzi Am Studies

 

In 2022, the UMJC published the findings of its Dorot study. The purpose of the study was to “investigate how Messianic Jewish congregations could become more relevant” in order to “bring about a more cohesive and mature Messianic Judaism.”1 The study explored perspectives on a wide range of topics across a broad swath of Messianic Jewish congregations and organizations (UMJC, MJAA, and independent) with the goal of determining what attracts and engages young people. The methodology of the Dorot Task Force used a mixed-methods approach with quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews.

The findings of the Chetzi Am study were published in 2024 as the work of my Doctor of Ministry project.2 The scope of my project was smaller in scale than the Dorot study, consisting of 16 qualitative interviews at one Messianic Jewish congregation, focused solely on one issue: women in ministry leadership. The methodology produced a grounded theory for how women called to ministry leadership navigate their callings within a Messianic Jewish congregation.

Whereas the Dorot study is broad, the Chetzi Am study is narrow and tightly focused. The Dorot study is like taking a look at a tree, whereas the Chetzi Am study examines one leaf on the tree. The tree, the Dorot study, includes data from branches for the UMJC, the MJAA, and other Messianic Jewish organizations. The leaf is congregation Chetzi Am. The Chetzi Am study provides empirical data regarding how one Messianic Jewish congregation views women in ministry leadership. In this article, I explore how the empirical data gathered from this leaf contributes to the broader discussion in the Dorot study concerning what attracts and engages young people.

The findings of the Dorot and Chetzi Am studies intersect at key points. An examination of these intersections may help the Messianic Jewish community achieve the goals of the two studies: 1) for the Dorot study, to attract and engage young people, and 2) for the Chetzi Am study, to discover how women called to ministry leadership navigate their calling. In this article, I will examine the intersections of the Dorot and Chetzi Am studies. In the first section, I will summarize the Dorot study and the Chetzi Am study in light of each other. In the second section, I will discuss the thematic intersections between the findings of the two studies. Finally, I will discuss the recommendations of each study pertaining to the points of intersection.

Summaries of the Dorot and Chetzi Am Studies in Light of Each Other

In 2022, the UMJC Dorot Task Force conducted a mixed methods study of teens and young adults. The purpose of the Dorot study was to describe what attracts and engages youth and young adults to Messianic Jewish congregations. The study’s survey and interview questions covered many topics, including but not limited to respondents’ views on women in ministry leadership. The Dorot study’s respondents included 46 teens and 208 young adults for the quantitative surveys and 29 young adults from nine congregations for the qualitative interviews.3 In answer to the question regarding whether or not women should have the opportunity to receive rabbinic ordination, 55% of young adults supported ordination opportunities for women. “Those most against women rabbis were MJAA-affiliated, males, Jewish, 38-47 age range, and conservative/very conservative politically.” Those most for women rabbis came “from ages 28-37, Union-affiliated respondents (61%), Jews and converts, females, and liberals/moderates.”4 Based on the findings, the Dorot study’s recommendations include investing in educational scholarships for women, fast-tracking women with degrees in biblical fields to rabbinic ordination, sending female delegates to Union conferences, opening more teaching and other leadership opportunities for women, and considering “female bi-vocational rabbis.”5

The purpose of the Chetzi Am study was to see how Messianic Jewish women in one particular congregation, congregation Chetzi Am,6 who sense a call from God to ministry leadership are viewed, accepted, and empowered within that congregation to fulfill their callings and thus participate in building up the Body of Messiah. The study had a dual goal of (1) offering a lens for a view of women that affirms the image, calling, and gifting of God within them and (2) revealing a potential path for Messianic Jewish women to fulfill a call to ministry leadership. As Chapter Two of my Doctor of Ministry project, the biblical and theological review of the Chetzi Am study explored God’s design for women in the creation narrative in Genesis 1–3; God’s covenantal responsibilities for women through the Shema in Deuteronomy 6; God’s ideal for women in the eyshet chayil from Proverbs 31; and God’s inclusive calling to avodah in Ephesians 4:11, which does not preclude women serving as apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers, with examples of women serving in these positions of leadership from the Tanakh to the Apostolic Writings.7 As Chapter Three of the project, the literature review mapped Messianic Jewish perspectives regarding women in ministry leadership on a complementarian-egalitarian continuum.8 The perspectives include 1) male headship as a picture of the gospel, 2) “harmony of the sexes” — complementarity with egalitarian leanings, 3) the pioneering nature of Messianic Judaism, and 4) the ordination of women.

Congregation Chetzi Am sits on the complementarian side of the continuum, with nine of sixteen participants expressing male headship as a picture of the gospel. More egalitarian views exist among the other seven participants, including the two youngest, who left the congregation within a year of the conclusion of the study. As the Dorot study explores what attracts and engages youth on a macrocosmic level, the Chetzi Am study provides empirical data on a microcosmic level that aligns with the findings of the Dorot study. The Dorot study was conducted with a goal of learning how to prevent the loss of young people from the movement, and the Chetzi Am study discovered one reason for the loss of two young people from the movement.

Chapter Four of my project included the methodology, data analysis, and findings of the study. The Chetzi Am study follows Kathy Charmaz’s principles for constructing grounded theory.9 The project began as a case study, that is, a study of a Messianic Jewish congregation, specifically a study of the cultural assumptions, expectations, and practices concerning women called to ministry leadership. As the project developed, the need for a substantive, actionable theory of the process arose, and thus the project moved towards a grounded theory method. The study began by gathering rich data via intensive interviews and observations, proceeded with initial coding and memo-writing, progressed to axial coding, which helped categorize the initial codes, and culminated in theoretical sampling to further explore and explain emerging answers to the initial research questions.

This was a study of 16 participants, all members of Chetzi Am congregation. Chetzi Am Messianic Jewish congregation is located in a majority conservative evangelical region. The congregation maintains active membership in a larger Messianic Jewish organization. The congregation’s average in-person attendance per week is 200 people, including children, which is larger than the average Messianic Jewish congregation. Approximately 75% of the congregation is non-Jewish, and approximately 50% of the adult members are women. The Board consists of the rabbi, elders, and shammashim (deacons), and they are all men. For the purposes of this study, the pseudonym for this congregation is Chetzi Am. Participants were selected according to the following criteria: (a) those who had maintained active membership for two years or more, and (b) those who had expressed a desire to serve the congregation through ministry.

From these two primary criteria flow the remainder of the selection criteria for interview participants. The resulting sixteen interview participants are intentionally chosen to represent a demographic slice of the pool of committed members who are serving, or who wish to serve, at the congregation in ministry leadership positions. To represent this demographic slice, participants were selected to include both leadership and laity, men and women, complementarian and egalitarian, Jew and non-Jew, American and Israeli, old and young. This diversity represents the diversity of the congregation and the resulting diverse views towards women in ministry leadership.

Of the sixteen interview participants,

• three participants are in formal leadership, and thirteen are laity,

• four participants are men and twelve are women,

• seven lean towards egalitarian ideals and nine towards complementarian ideals,

• six are Jewish and ten are non-Jewish,

• fifteen are American and one is Israeli,

• two are in their 20s, three are in their 30s, six are in their 40s, two are in their 50s, two are in their 60s, and one is in the 70s age group.

The findings of the grounded theory study situate congregation Chetzi Am on the complementarian end of the continuum and shed light on how women within the congregation navigate a call to ministry leadership in that complementarian context. First, the findings revealed different worldviews, including a biblical lens, a design lens, a roles lens, and a cultural lens, and different definitions of terms such as leadership and authority pertaining to men and women that lead to different practices for women who navigate a call to ministry leadership. The Chetzi Am study revealed different ways that women navigate a call from God to ministry leadership. This process includes 1) ambiguity in how to approach their call, 2) a lack of mentorship, 3) suspicion concerning the validity of their call, 4) a struggle with having their voices heard, culminating in 5) three approaches to navigating their call.

Women who navigate a call to ministry leadership follow three paths: they either conform, redirect, or abandon their callings. 1) They conform their call to expectations at the congregation, which often requires limiting a complete fulfillment of their calling and/or positioning themselves in ministry areas that may not be the best fit for their gifts, talents, and calling. 2) They redirect their talents to ministries outside of the congregation, which may involve leaving the congregation for another congregation or ministry. 3) They abandon their calling and do not participate in ministry.

The findings of the Chetzi Am study contribute empirical data to the findings of the Dorot study specifically regarding the questions surrounding women in ministry leadership and how the younger generations are viewing, accepting, and empowering women who may be navigating a call to ministry. The concerns of the Dorot study to discover what attracts and engages young people intersect with the concerns of the Chetzi Am study to discover how women who are called to ministry leadership are viewed, accepted, and empowered. The concerns of the Dorot study are that young people are leaving the Messianic Jewish movement, and the concerns of the Chetzi Am study are that women who are navigating a call to ministry leadership may also be either leaving the Messianic Jewish movement or be limited in how they may contribute. Either way, the Messianic Jewish community does not benefit from the potential contributions of these women.

Intersections of the Dorot and Chetzi Am Studies

The findings of the Chetzi Am study contribute to the broader discussions within the Messianic Jewish community regarding women in ministry leadership. In this section, I will explore the intersections between the Chetzi Am study and the 2022 Dorot study. Thematic points of intersection include the following: 1) ambiguity in definitions for women’s leadership roles, 2) lack of mentorship, 3) leaving, 4) conforming, and 5) connection to the Jewish community.

 

Ambiguity in Definitions for Women’s Leadership Roles

The first point of intersection between the Chetzi Am study and the 2022 Dorot study is ambiguity in definitions for women’s leadership roles. The Chetzi Am study found that participants had different definitions of the term leadership for men and for women. Although participant Yossi10 affirms, “I am favorable” towards women in ministry leadership positions, eldership and rabbinic ordination are not included in his definition of ministry leadership positions for women, whereas these positions are included in the definition of ministry leadership positions for men. Participant Yossi views the roles of chazzan and shammash as possibilities for women, but participant Alex does not. Hence, there is ambiguity in defining potential ministry leadership roles for women.

Although many of the participants in both studies are open to women in ministry leadership positions, clarification of specific positions remains ambiguous. The young adult survey of the Dorot study “revealed that 84% of respondents fully (59%) or somewhat support (25%) more opportunities for women in non-rabbinic leadership roles ([defined] as board members, elders, cantors, senior music leader, etc.).”11 Approximately 6% are against women in non-rabbinic leadership roles, and the rest express no opinion.12 In contrast with the majority opinion of the participants in the Dorot study, women at congregation Chetzi Am are not invited to serve as board members, elders, or cantors. Yet the music leaders at Chetzi Am are a husband and wife team, wherein the wife plays the more visible role. Thus, ministry leadership roles as defined for women remain ambiguous.

Young adults in both studies wish to see women in ministry leadership roles. One young adult interviewee in the Dorot study expressed an interest in hearing messages from a woman’s point of view. “I’d like to see some female leadership roles . . . something in general from a woman’s point of view.”13 In the Chetzi Am study, participant Tzipporah says, “Having a woman bring us a message could open a whole new perspective. I don’t think God’s against Proverbs 31 feminism. That’s different from 2022 feminism.” Both the Dorot participant and the Chetzi Am participant acknowledge the cultural expectations that women will not speak. The Dorot participant says, “I know that this is treading on precarious ground about women teachers, but you know, if they can have a Beth Moore — she’s a solid teacher — why can’t we have something like that.”14 Participant Tzipporah attributes the prohibitions against women speaking to jealousy. “I think the root of the problem is jealousy. Men don’t want women’s voices to be heard.” Interestingly, the Dorot table showing opinions concerning women rabbis by congregational affiliation lists those against women’s ordination at only 26% among UMJC respondents, 34% among MJAA respondents, and 46% among the “other” group.15 The rest of the respondents either fully support, somewhat support, or have no opinion concerning women’s ordination. Thus, the majority of respondents are, in fact, not against ordaining women as rabbinic leaders.

Participant Tzipporah believes that authority should be balanced between men and women. “We have to learn as a community how to give leadership roles to women and balance male and female authority. Men like to shush women. They don’t give women authority to exercise their God-given talents for leadership.” Two Dorot young adult survey responses express a desire to see more opportunities for women in ministry leadership. One respondent looks for “support for women to be in leadership,” and another says, “We still need to find more ways to honor and celebrate women.”16 Yet egalitarian participation is considered “to be a bit more edgy.”17 In the Chetzi Am study, participant Alex notes, “I’ve seen women positively lead in a number of places — both on paper and off — with tremendous success; women are integral, but if we put them in charge on paper, it could fracture the shul.” Nonetheless, some young adults desire “to see women in the leadership lineup/as teachers.”18

Servant leadership is touted by the participants of both studies. The findings of both studies reveal an emphasis not only on servant leadership as leaders-who-serve but also on serving as a path to recognized leadership . . . for men. Specifically, men have a path toward leadership through service, but women do not. Women are encouraged to serve, but their service will not open a path towards leadership. Though service is open to women, servant-leadership is not. The rabbi’s wife, a position of leadership attained through marriage, “works really hard” to make people feel welcomed, notes a Dorot young adult interviewee. 19The rebbetzin referred to by the young adult Dorot interviewee works hard to serve, but her position of leadership has been attained through marriage, not through service as a path to leadership.

Young people want to serve, regardless of their age, gender, or marital status. As one of the Dorot young adult interviewees said, “People who are on the younger end of things tend to have a ton of energy. They really want to serve. And if you don’t give them opportunities to serve in your own community, they’re going to go somewhere else.20” Another Dorot young adult interviewee says, “My approach is that everyone, after their bar/bat mitzvah, should be serving on a committee in some capacity.”21 The bar/bat mitzvah should represent a starting point to lifelong service, not an end goal. Yet how young women serve is contested. Bat Mitzvahs who give a mini-drash as part of their ceremony may not be approved for the opportunity to speak publicly from the bema again.

Though participants of both studies believe everyone should be serving, serving is a path to recognized leadership primarily for men. For example, in the Chetzi Am study, participants Yossi and Phyllis believe that women should step into servant leadership opportunities, and as their fruits grow, so will their leadership responsibilities. Phyllis says that women should look for the needs, and then “step in to serve in areas where the congregation is lacking volunteers, and after time that may grow into an increased leadership opportunity.” Yossi says, “As they participate in ministries, their skills and giftings will rise to the top and be recognized, and they will naturally work their way up into leadership positions.” Yet neither Phyllis nor Yossi believes that the leadership positions will include eldership or rabbinic ordination, based on the qualifications for overseers given in 1 Timothy 3. None of the women at Chetzi Am who are leading ministries within the congregation are ordained as shammashot and none are on the board. Therefore, increased leadership positions at Chetzi Am are not truly an option for women, no matter their willingness to serve or the extent of their skills and giftings. Although other Messianic Jewish congregations have shammashot and female board members, no UMJC or MJAA congregations recognize women as rabbis at this time.22 Hence, this is the ceiling beyond which women cannot “work their way up into leadership positions.”

Lack of Mentorship

The second point of intersection between the Dorot study and the Chetzi Am study is a lack of mentorship, a key component of preparation for ministry leadership. The findings of the Dorot study note that “young people desire continual close mentoring and discipleship.”23 The Dorot study finds that

young people refrain from asking for mentoring, although they desire it deeply. They will take something unstructured, but many want a structured program and close relationships with leaders that continue to mentor/disciple them long-term. In the YA [young adult] survey, 80% thought it important/very important to have mentors as well as 81% of teens.24

Though young people desire mentorship, both studies indicate that mentorship is lacking. One Dorot young adult survey respondent says, “I believe the Messianic community at large needs to focus on the youth far more, especially those that wish to be leaders and serve within their congregation in the future.”25

At Chetzi Am, participant Deborah recalls, “I remember several years ago being with some older women in the Lord and saying, ‘I desperately need a mentor,’ and their response was, ‘We’ve all felt that, and you just have to live your life, basically,’ which was really discouraging.” She continues, “I’ve had no training other than just being put into leadership. I don’t have anyone to bounce ideas off of. I can email the rabbi and get a short reply, maybe one or two sentences.” Participant Rohi says, “I looked for women to mentor me, to help me navigate this call, but there was no one. In fact, I remember one older woman coming to me for mentorship, and that felt weird, but the truth was, I was older in the Lord, even though I was younger in age.” Participant Lydia says, “We don’t really have strong female leaders. Our women are not ready to take leadership roles, quite honestly.” Participant Petra says, “We need some sort of mentorship and guidance.” Answering a question about mentorship at Chetzi Am, participant Petra says, “My response is a literal shrug. I looked to my co-lead for mentorship, and ours is literally the only ministry at [Chetzi Am] where I have seen mentorship happen.” Participant Tzipporah says, “We need mentors. If we had women in place to mentor women, it could turn into this beautiful kingdom picture. Women need to know how to exercise leadership in a healthy and biblical way.” Participant Phoebe says, “I wish we had more women as role models, women that people know are in charge of things.” Participant Deborah sees a need for women who have walked the path of leadership, even if it has been informal leadership, to light the way for upcoming female leaders. She says, “Women who have been in the trenches have a lot to offer those who are coming up.”

Lack of mentorship is not gender specific. Participant Ezer says for himself, “There was no mentoring. Zero.” Participant Alex observes, “Discipleship is one of our weakest points. I wasn’t directly mentored. I just picked the people I wanted to learn from.”

Hence, the findings of both studies reveal a need for increased mentorship for future leaders.

Disaffected Women Leaving their Congregations

The third point of intersection between the Chetzi Am study and the Dorot study is that disaffected women aspiring to leadership are leaving their congregations. The Dorot study’s purpose in finding out what attracts and engages young people is to retain young people in Messianic congregations. In the Chetzi Am study, participants were found to navigate their call to ministry leadership by either conforming their call to the congregation’s expectations, redirecting their call to another ministry, or abandoning their call altogether. Those who redirect may leave their Messianic congregation to find another congregation or ministry where they can better fulfill their call.

At Chetzi Am, participant Deborah struggled for thirteen years to find a place to fulfill her call. Her journey included leaving Chetzi Am for a time:

Before I was in this position, my frustration level was pretty high. In prayer, I asked permission to go find another place. I felt released to leave, and so I spent about six weeks either visiting other congregations or just staying home and resting. When I went into other congregations, I knew that wasn’t where I was supposed to be. Every time I have changed where I was worshiping, I knew immediately when I walked in the first time, so I knew visiting those other places, there wasn’t the connection God wanted for me. So, I returned and tried to remain a part of the body within the context I was allowed. Emotionally, sometimes I would just want to leave, but spiritually, I hadn’t been told to.

Participant Deborah is an older participant. Two younger participants, both in their 20s, have left Chetzi Am since the study concluded. Though a lack of opportunities and respect for women in leadership was neither participant’s primary reason for leaving, it was one of their secondary reasons.

In the Dorot study, one of the open-ended young adult survey questions asked
respondents why they were not currently involved in a Messianic Jewish congregation. Messianic Jewish congregations are “sexist” was one of the answers.26 To the open-ended young adult survey question asking what is missing from their Messianic Jewish congregation or community, “women in leadership (support)” is one answer.27 To the question, “What’s important to young adults and teens,” 55% of young adults and 22% of teens said “women rabbis.”28 Significantly, “women’s ordination had more support (62%) from those who don’t attend or who have left Messianic Jewish congregations vs 54% for those who currently attend.29

Messianic Jewish congregations may want to consider how their stance on women in leadership is either attracting or repelling the next generation.

Aspiring Leaders Conforming to Expectations

The fourth point of intersection between the Chetzi Am study and the Dorot study is aspiring women leaders conforming their God-given call to ministry to the expectations and norms of their congregation. As one young adult respondent in the Dorot study described her service to her Messianic congregation, “It depended on the allowances given to me by the congregation I was attending. In congregations where women are allowed to lead services and read from the Torah, I assisted in those ways.”30 Three points of interest emerge with this response: 1) the respondent’s use of past tense, e.g. “it depended”; 2) what women are “allowed” to do, e.g. “on the allowances” and “where women are allowed”; and 3) the respondent’s conforming her call to the congregation’s expectations, e.g. “I assisted in those ways.”

In the Chetzi Am study, participant Rohi says, “When God called me, He didn’t put age or gender limits on my call, but that is what is expected here. For a long time, I tried out different ministries, trying to see where I fit, trying to hear from God a clear, ‘Yes, this is it.’ I’ve been very creative at times, trying to obey God but also respecting the boundaries here. It doesn’t help that the boundaries aren’t clear.” The Dorot respondent and the Chetzi Am participant both express an effort to conform what they believe to be a God-given call to ministry leadership to the expectations and norms of their congregations.

A final point of intersection layered within conforming is a lack of clarity concerning the rules. The Dorot respondent’s response indicates that she has been to many congregations and that she has encountered different rules in different places. Likewise, the Chetzi Am participant remarks that within her congregation, “the boundaries aren’t clear.” Not only do Messianic expectations and norms concerning women in ministry leadership vary from congregation to congregation, a single congregation (Chetzi Am) also expresses ambiguity concerning expectations and norms internally.

Messianic Jewish women who experience a call to ministry leadership must often navigate their call by conforming to the expectations and norms of their congregations, even though there is no standard expectation or norm across the broader Messianic Jewish community.

Shared Desire for Connection with the Jewish Community

A fifth point of intersection between the Chetzi Am study and the Dorot study is the Messianic Jewish desire for connection with the wider Jewish community. The Dorot executive summary notes that “whether leaders are trying to retain teens and young adults or draw in new people, our findings show it is essential to provide a welcoming community environment where relationships thrive as well as cultivating faith in Yeshua within an authentic Jewish space.”31 An “authentic Jewish space” is what sets a Messianic Jewish congregation apart from a Christian church. The purpose of a Messianic Jewish congregation is to provide an authentic Jewish space for Jews who follow Yeshua as the Messiah to do so in a Jewish way, maintaining Jewish identity and continuity.

At the same time, Messianic Jewish congregants see themselves as bridges between Jewish and Christian communities, and some respondents of the Dorot study expressed a desire to develop and maintain relationships with both Jewish and Christian communities. 73% of young adults in the Dorot study express a desire to “feel connected to the larger Jewish community.” One respondent says, “I hope we can contribute greatly to the Jewish community, not just as witnesses. I mean, ultimately as witnesses, but also in . . . ways, like winning Nobel prizes or fighting in the IDF, or making really good policy against antisemitism.” Another survey respondent says the Messianic Jewish community needs “more fellowship with other churches and non-Messianic synagogues.32

As bridge builders, Messianic Jewish congregants wish to invite Jewish and Christian friends to their Messianic congregations. “In the young adult survey, 56% found it important/very important to engage in outreach.”33 One survey respondent in the Dorot study says, “I would love to see a fraction of the ‘church Jews’ in my neighborhood attend our community,” and a Dorot interview participant says, “think about the Jews that live in our neighborhood, I think they’re important, but I think there’s a global aspect of going out and bringing the good news of Messiah in its Jewish context and historic place to the whole world.”34

Yet, those who visit must feel comfortable. One young adult survey respondent in the Dorot study remarks, “What’s missing — any sense of relevance to the wider culture. We say we want other Jewish people to join us, but we’ve created this weird subculture that’s very alien to the average mainstream Jewish person.”35

Indeed, the study at Chetzi Am reveals a lacuna in contextualization for Jewish people. The Chetzi Am study investigates how the lack of women in ministry leadership in Messianic Judaism may affect contextualization for Jewish visitors and new Jewish believers. In the Chetzi Am study, participant Zeev says, “the Messianic Jewish movement as a whole connects more to the orthodox mindset” than to conservative or reform Judaism. Although congregation Chetzi Am may be situated farther to the complementarian side of the continuum than other Messianic Jewish congregations, the lack of women’s rabbinic ordination across the broader Messianic Jewish movement stands in contrast to most forms of Judaism in America. Since the majority of American Jews are not orthodox,36 there is a gulf between worldviews that stands in the way of reaching Chetzi Am’s local Jewish community. In Israel, however, there are few conservative or reform Jews. Most religious Israeli Jews are orthodox, either haredi or modern.37 Participant Zeev sees the purpose of a Messianic Jewish congregation as “to restore the Jewish people, to make it [the congregation] as welcoming as possible.” He recalls a story: “A long time ago, I led a man to the Lord, and when he saw a Messianic Jewish woman reading from the Torah, he said, ‘How can you draw more Israelis if we see that?’” Zeev concludes, “If we want to be called Jews to the Jews, we need to have a male leader of the community.” Yet, cultural expectations and norms are changing. The incident Zeev recounts above happened over twenty years ago. Many more women have been ordained since then, and Alec Goldberg’s study in Israel38, as well as the Dorot study in America, 39have shown an increasing openness among Messianic Jews toward ordaining women. In observations of services during the time of the Chetzi Am study, women, including Israelis, read from the Torah frequently. Women also teach men in the Young Adults’ group and in afternoon Bible studies. If these ways of serving are now acceptable, could it be possible that women’s ordination may someday be acceptable, too?

Other participants do not see any reason why Chetzi Am would follow the example of other sects of Judaism which ordain women. Participant Yossi says, “There is no life in a Yeshua-less synagogue. Why would we do what they do?” Participant Deborah observes, “We have little regard for other streams of Judaism which do ordain women. We are just waiting for them to come around to our way of thinking.” Yossi’s faith is laser-focused on Yeshua to the extent he believes the mainstream synagogue should not set the Messianic Jewish example, and Deborah’s comments express her frustrations and yes, criticism, with Messianic Jewish reluctance to accept women’s ordination like other streams of Judaism. Although Yossi and Deborah speak only for Yossi and Deborah, the facts remain that Messianic Jewish culture and beliefs are different than mainstream Judaism, especially in the area of women’s ordination, and this affects the ability for Messianic Jews to connect with the broader Jewish community in America.

A lack of knowledge of Jewish culture is also apparent, especially among the congregation’s non-Jewish members. Many of Chetzi Am’s non-Jewish members do not have friends or family who are Jewish and do not have past experiences with Judaism. While a Jewish member of the congregation may join in order to maintain Jewish identity and worship Yeshua in a Jewish way, the non-Jews’ motives differ. Their motives for joining a Messianic Jewish congregation are more likely to include living what they see as a more biblical lifestyle, or doing what Jesus did, than connecting with the Jewish people. Though many non-Jewish members love the Jewish people deeply, the cultural connection is missing. This fact contributes to the creation of the “weird subculture.40” Participant Hannah says,

First, I would say that I have very little idea of what Jewish culture is in this matter. I know of some synagogues that are led by women, but I was under the impression that was unusual. Your question implies that Jewish culture accepts women in “teaching men” positions, but I doubt that is true across the board.

Second, I would say that Jewish culture, by which you refer to rabbinic Judaism or cultural Jews or the wide range of Jewish practice across the world who have in common their rejection of Yeshua as the promised Messiah, has rejected God fundamentally, and thus has lost its anchor and is swayed by the waves of the greater unbelieving culture around us as well as by their own self-deception. This creates a very distinct difference in a lot of areas.

In summary, the Dorot findings reveal the desire for connection to the Jewish people but also the emergence of a “weird” subculture that prevents connection. The participants of the study at congregation Chetzi Am show little interest in appealing to the local Jewish community, aligning more with orthodox Jewish and ultra-conservative Christian mindsets. Based on the findings of both studies, Messianic Jewish communities may wish to review and revise their outreach methods for connection and contextualization to their local Jewish communities.

Intersecting Recommendations

Based on the thematic intersections of the findings between the Dorot and Chetzi Am studies, common recommendations emerge. First, defining leadership in a way that is clear and univalent, rather than multivalent, and applicable equally to men and to women will enable and empower the future generation of Messianic Jewish leaders to lead without ambiguity in any Messianic Jewish context. Providing biblical definitions and examples of both male and female leadership can help future leaders navigate their callings to ministry leadership. Offering formal mentorship programs can also aid young people, both male and female, to discover, develop, and achieve their God-given purpose.

Messianic Jewish congregations may want to consider how their stance on women in leadership is either attracting or repelling the next generation. Messianic Jewish women who experience a call to ministry leadership must often navigate their call by conforming to the expectations and norms of their congregations, even though there is no standard expectation or norm across the broader Messianic Jewish community. Having consistent structure and a clear path towards ministry will help young people stay active and engaged in the movement.

Based on the findings, the Dorot study’s recommendations include investing in educational scholarships for women, fast-tracking women with degrees in biblical fields to rabbinic ordination, sending female delegates to Union conferences, opening more teaching and other leadership opportunities for women, and considering “female bi-vocational rabbis.”41 These recommendations are similar but not as conservative as the recommendations for Chetzi Am. My recommendations for congregation Chetzi Am include the following: 1) ordain the women who are currently leading ministries and include them on the board as shammashot, and 2) develop a program to educate and mentor future leaders, both men and women.

In conclusion, although the participants in both the Chetzi Am study and the Dorot study express a majority openness to increased ministry leadership roles for women, the leadership of Chetzi Am as well as the leaderships of the UMJC and MJAA sit on the complementarian side of the continuum, due to a high view of scripture read through complementarian lenses. Concerns with a radically complementarian position, raised by both studies, include the alienation of women and of the next generation from the Messianic Jewish community. Findings of the Chetzi Am study indicate that the leadership of the congregation is open to a more egalitarian view if certain biblical passages (such as 1 Timothy 3) and concepts (such as male headship as a picture of the gospel) were to be exegetically explored. It is my belief that a high view of scripture is good and can be maintained while reading with egalitarian lenses. Addressing biblical objections to women in ministry is a necessary step toward viewing, accepting, and empowering women as equally called by God to ministry leadership. To restate, the findings of the Dorot study result in the following recommendations from the Dorot task force: (1) investing in educational scholarships for women, (2) fast-tracking women with degrees in biblical fields to rabbinic ordination, (3) sending female delegates to Union conferences, (4) opening more teaching and other leadership opportunities for women, and (5) considering “female bi-vocational rabbis.”42

At Chetzi Am, how a woman’s calling is viewed, accepted, and empowered depends on her specific calling. If she feels called to exercise her gifts in ministry leadership positions such as rabbi, elder, chazzan, or shammash, her calling may be viewed as illegitimate or misunderstood. However, as long as she uses her gifts and talents in any way that is subordinate to formal decision-making levels of leadership, the congregation views her call as beneficial and values her contributions. Congregation Chetzi Am uses women’s talents in many areas of service, but women experience limited acceptance. Limitations to acceptance of her call depend on how her call is viewed. Congregational empowerment is even more limited, both for men and for women. Limitations on congregational empowerment emerge from a lack of full acceptance for women’s callings to leadership but are also due to poor communication between ministries and an overall lack of formal mentorship. However, analysis of the data reveals that the congregation has empowered women to serve in greater capacities over the last couple of years and is possibly interested in pursuing the path of empowering women to better exercise their gifts.