The History of Chosen People Ministries in Tel Aviv
Chosen People Ministries began a dynamic ministry among Israelis in the greater Tel Aviv area in 2017. This outreach focuses on presenting the gospel to younger Israelis—most of whom recently served in the military. We also reach out to the families and older adults living in and around Tel Aviv. Our staff host worship nights, Bible studies, and discipleship programs. Every month, we do a few special events attracting many not-yet-believers. Examples include concerts, Sabbath dinners, and lectures.
One of our especially popular programs is our regular cultural night. Believers from various countries visit our center to showcase their cultures. They talk with Israelis about the gospel and how it gave them a heart for Israel. Today, we can accommodate between fifty and sixty people at our events in our rented property. Our activities, however, are so popular, we often must put people on a waiting list. We are running out of room!
The History of Chosen People Ministries in Israel
Israel is the centerpiece of our global strategy in reaching Jewish people with the gospel! There is only one Israel—the heart of Jewish identity, hopes, and dreams throughout the centuries. Today, more than seven million Jewish people live in the Holy Land. Our Tel Aviv Messianic Center will serve an area where more than 50 percent of Israelis live, work, and raise their families. Chosen People Ministries began serving in Israel in the 1930s under the name Beit Sar Shalom (the House of the Prince of Peace from Isaiah 9:6). Over the past thirty years, we have grown and now have more than two dozen staff members serving with Chosen People Ministries in Israel—and have planted several congregations. We serve the aging Holocaust survivor community of almost 200,000 Jewish people. We conduct children’s camps throughout the year, and we are active in personal evangelism and discipleship as well as digital/web-based evangelism. In 2006, we purchased and dedicated our Jerusalem Messianic Center, which serves as Beit Sar Shalom’s headquarters in Israel and is constantly busy with a wide variety of outreach gospel activities.
About Tel Aviv
The greater Tel Aviv area is the largest and demographically the youngest metropolitan area in Israel with a population of 3.7 million people. The Jewish population of Israel is growing! Tel Aviv is the financial and cultural hub of the country. The character of Tel Aviv is distinct from that of Jerusalem. Tel Aviv is Israel’s most secular city, whereas Jerusalem is more religious.
There are probably a dozen believing congregations scattered throughout the greater Tel Aviv area—averaging between fifty and seventy-five congregants. Less than 0.5 percent of the overall population are believers. This marks the modern state of Israel as having one of the lowest numbers of Jesus-followers in the world.