Matthew 28:18-20

1
Matthew 2818-20

• All authority in heaven and on earth has been
  given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of
  all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
  Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and
  teaching them to obey everything I have
• commanded you.

2
To the Jew firstWhat does this mean?

• I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the
  power of God for the salvation of everyone who
  believes first for the Jew, then for the
  Gentile.
• Romans 116

3
Where have we beenand where are we going?

• The History of Jewish Missions in the Lutheran
  Church--Missouri Synod
• Presented by the Rev. Kevin Parviz

4
When was the Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod
founded?

• On April 26, 1847, 12 pastors from 15
  congregations formed The German Evangelical
  Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio and Other States.

This Synod became the Lutheran Church--Missouri
Synod in 1947.
5
How long was it after our founding that we called
our first missionary to the Jewish people?
Only 34 years! From early on we had a zeal to
share the gospel with Jewish people.
6
Jewish missions begins in the LCMS

• 1881 Convention
• 1882 Daniel Landsmann in Springfield
• 1883 Sent to Lower East Side of Manhattan
• 1896 37 Jewish people brought to faith by his
  ministry.
• One of them was Rabbi Nathaniel Friedmann

7
Jewish missions continues in the LCMS

• 1896-1941 Nathaniel Friedmann (Minneapolis/St.
  Paul)
• 1930-1934 Isadore Schwartz (Chicago)
• 1930-1934 Kenneth Frankenstein (St. Louis)
• World War II changes everything!

8
Our voice is stilled for a time

• Holocaust
• Two covenant theory--Franz Rosenzweig
• Luthers 1543 booklet On the Jews and their
  lies
• Luthers 1523 treatise That Jesus Christ was
  born a Jew
• Luthers final sermon, February 15, 1546--three
  days before his death.

9
We want to act in a Christian way toward them
the Jews and offer them first of all the
Christian faith, that they might accept the
Messiah, who, after all, is their kinsman and
born of their flesh and blood and is of the real
seed of Abraham of which they boast We still
want to treat them with Christian love and to
pray for them, so that they might become
converted and would receive the Lord.--Luther,
1546
10
Modern Jewish missions in the LCMS

• 1973 Convention--St. Lukes Philadelphia, Rev.
  Bruce Lieske
• Referred to Dr. Erv Kolb, Evangelism
• 1974 First meeting of ad hoc committee on Jewish
  evangelism
• 1975 First edition of Witnessing to Jewish
  People by Rev. Bruce Lieske

11
Modern Jewish missions in the LCMS

• 1976 The American Jewish Committee led by Rabbi
  James Rudin
• Moishe Rosen--Jews for Jesus
• 1976 Steve Cohen--lay missionary for Jews for
  Jesus and member of ALC Church

12
Modern Jewish missions in the LCMS

• The Committee on Witnessing to the Jewish People
  is moved from the Board of Parish Services to the
  North American Missions Board
• 1981 Lutheran Institute for Jewish Evangelism,
  Rev. Bruce Lieske
• 1988 Rev. John Perling, Beverly Hills
• 1988 Milt Kohut--first full-time missionary as a
  result of 1973 resolution!

13
Modern Jewish missions in the LCMS

• 1981-1993 Rev. Bruce Lieske (Philadelphia)
• 1993-2005 Lutherans in Jewish Evangelism-Orlando,
  FL
• 1988-1990 Milt Kohut (Los Angeles)
• 1988-2008 Marc Danzis (NYC- Beth El Messianic
  Lutheran Church).
• 1990-1991 Dave Tengbom (LA)
• 1992-1996 Darla Schmidt (Chicago)

14
Modern Jewish missions in the LCMS
Board for Mission Services no longer includes
Jewish Missions.
The Apple of His Eye Mission Society
1996--Steve Cohen, Jennifer Krupp and Kevin
Parviz, Missionary Training Center
Inaugural Service, September 22, 1996
15
Modern Jewish missions in the LCMS

• 1996-Present Rev. Kevin Parviz (St. Louis)
• 1998-Congregation Chai vShalom
• 1999-Lutherans in Jewish Evangelism Branch in
  Detroit.

16
Modern Jewish missions in the LCMS

• Summer 1999 Outreach Event--4 new missionary
  candidates.
• 1999-2003 Rev. Don Peymann (Houston)
• 1999-2005 Ted Martin (LA)
• 1999-2006 Gary Timm (NYC)
• 1999 Alan Butterworth (volunteer)

17
Modern Jewish missions in the LCMS

• 2001-2007 Alan Butterworth (Missionary trainee)
• 2007-2010 Alan Butterworth (S. FL)
• 2001-2008 Rev. Marc Danzis (NYC)
• 2003-2007 Rev. Jay Klein (Houston)
• 2004-2005 Rev. Ted Martin (LA)
• 1999-2006 Rev. Gary Timm (NYC)
• 2005-Bruce Lieske retires, Rev. Kevin Parviz
  becomes the new Executive Director for Lutherans
  in Jewish Evangelism.

18
Modern Jewish missions in the LCMS

• 2005-New branch of LIJE opens in St. Louis.
• 2008-South Florida Branch opens in Miami.
• 2008-First non-geographic branch of LIJE opens
  (CrossPollination Ministries, Rev. Brad Aldrich)
• 2008-Rev. Randall Wilken and Rev. David Corson
  called by LIJE to begin a new ministry in St.
  Louis (Acts 18 Mission Society, and The Rock)
• 2009-Acts 18 receives RSO and Wilken and Corson
  are released from LIJE
• 2010-New branch of LIJE opens in Atlanta.
• 2010-New worker called to Orlando, Rev. Kermit
  Rickenberg-- Books for Missions

19
Modern Jewish missions in the LCMS

• The Apple of His Eye Mission Society identifies,
  recruits, trains and deploys full-time
  professional missionaries.
• Lutherans in Jewish Evangelism is an umbrella
  ministry for new missions that share our ministry
  goals, and works with congregations to develop
  branches that intentionally participate in the
  Great Commission, especially to Jewish people,
  through our church body.

20
Modern Jewish missions in the LCMS

• Status as of Dec. 2010
• Lutherans in Jewish Evangelism--Rev. Kevin
  Parviz, Executive Director, Branches in Orlando
  (Rev. Bruce Lieske), Detroit (Mary Lou Temple
  Suzanne Hall), St. Louis (Rev. Kevin Parviz), S.
  Florida (Alan Butterworth) and Atlanta (Tom
  Sharon Boeck).
• Two non-geographic branches CrossPollination
  Ministries (Rev. Brad Aldrich) and Books for
  Mission (Rev. Kermit Rickenberg).
• Future-Branch of LIJE in every city with
  significant Jewish population.

21
Modern Jewish missions in the LCMS

• Status as of Dec. 2010
• Apple of His Eye Mission Society--Steve Cohen,
  Founder

22
Modern Jewish missions in the LCMS

• Status as of Dec. 2010
• Beth El Messianic Lutheran Church--Forest Hills,
  NY (vacant)
• Congregation Chai vShalom--St. Louis, MO

23
Lutherans in Jewish Evangelism

• Prayerfully consider whether God may be calling
  you into short-time volunteer or full-time
  ministry among Jewish people.
• There is (or will be) a branch of Lutherans in
  Jewish Evangelism near you. Will you help?
• Call Rev. Kevin Parviz at
• [phone]
• Or e-mail him at
• Rev Kevye_at_aol.com