The Master of Divinity Program
Another way we are fulfilling our mission is by identifying
and training new leaders in Jewish ministry through our
seminary program, the Charles L. Feinberg Center for
Messianic Jewish Studies. Several years ago, we recognized
a tremendous need within Jewish missions for more
seminary-trained leadership. Through a partnership with
Biola University’s Talbot School of Theology, located
strategically in the greater Los Angeles area, we were able
to develop a cutting-edge Master of Divinity program with
an emphasis on Messianic Jewish Studies. After receiving
accreditation through the New York Board of Regents and the
Association of Theological Schools, we began classes in the
summer of 2007.
The Feinberg Center program contains 78 credits and awards
a Master of Divinity degree in Messianic Jewish Studies from
Talbot School of Theology. Our program is still unique from
most regular seminary programs in that it offers specialized
coursework to prepare leaders for Jewish ministry as
missionaries, Messianic pastors, non-profit leaders, and
educators. Three key components of the program make it
unique: Coursework, field ministry, and cost.
We have had 27 students graduate from the Feinberg Center.
Field Ministry
We placed the Feinberg Center in the New York metro
area because it is the center of Jewish life in America. With
close to two million Jewish people, the city provides endless
possibilities for students to immerse themselves in Jewish
culture and ministry while completing their coursework.
Every semester, we organize various Jewish-focused field
ministry programs to help each student put what they have
learned in the classroom into practice.
We have designed the different field ministry opportunities to
expose our students to several aspects of Jewish ministry over
the course of their studies. These aspects include direct evangelism,
discipleship, leading Bible studies, Messianic congregation
leadership, and non-profit administrative training. We also provide
other unique projects each semester, such as our evangelistic
Jewish holiday celebrations, interfaith benevolence projects,
debates, and café-style youth outreaches. These numerous field
ministry programs take students into several areas of New York
City including Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn.
Cost
We established the Feinberg Center to provide our students
with an affordable education and give them the opportunity
to graduate debt-free, enabling them to enter vocational
ministry without the tremendous burden of student loans.
To achieve this affordability, we offer a wide range of
scholarships and subsidies to offset student costs. Not only
is our tuition a quarter of what it would normally cost,
we also provide heavily-subsidized student housing for
single students and offer students with families a housing
scholarship to make their rent affordable. The generous
and regular support from our ministry partners makes an
affordable education possible.
now teaches Greek at the seminary.
Coursework
We have designed the curriculum for the Feinberg Center
to incorporate both a typical Jewish studies program and
an evangelical seminary program, while also tailoring each
specific class toward the current needs of Jewish ministry.
Each of our Jewish studies courses, like Rabbinic Literature
and Theology, Theology of the Siddur (Jewish prayer book),
and Jewish History, contain practical elements on how a
better understanding of Jewish tradition can enhance our
work in Jewish missions. Additionally, each of the traditional
evangelical seminary courses, like Pastoral Ministry,
Church History, and Apologetics, include a unique Jewish
perspective for the context of Jewish ministry. Our professors
are all excellent scholars with a long history of personal
experience in Jewish ministry.
14 The Chosen People | JULY 2019