Set aside for me Bar-nabba and Sha’ul for the work to which I have called them. Acts 13:2
How can you make a difference in the unfolding progress of tikkun olam, God's plan to repair the world? It is often said you can give a fish or teach someone how to fish. The latter is usually the better plan, at least for the long term. And to be able to teach means to become a leader, one who makes a difference. Some of us are convinced that tikkun olam flows from Israel to the world and that Messianic Judaism is in a decisive spot in its unfolding. We're issuing a call for leaders, guides, Madrikhim and Madrikhot.
The Madrikh - Madrikha program is a post-graduate training and development curriculum designed to increase leadership in Messianic synagogues. It involves a course of study at one of two UMJC approved seminaries for a total of ten courses over a two-year period. The program also includes reading through the Bible twice and passing an oral examination in scriptural proficiency.
The end result is licensure in the UMJC as a Madrikh or Madrikha, a position recognized in our synagogues as valuable for teachers, synagogue officers, cantors, counselors, and other positions of support and leadership.
We are convinced that Messianic Judaism can bring so many more into the joy of Messiah and Torah as leadership increases. Rabbis are only the beginning of the leadership needs of a well-functioning Jewish community and rabbis know there are many other roles to fill. Too often, beleaguered rabbis fill more roles than they can truthfully handle. Isn't it time you became a part of the solution, lending your heart and mind to the great cause of Messiah?
By creating this licensure program, the UMJC is raising expectations for leadership. A licensed Madrikh or Madrikha adds credibility to the leadership structure of any congregation. A Madrikh or Madrikha has gained the endorsement of the wider Messianic Jewish community. This is truly an accomplishment worth pursuing and a responsibility worthy of dedication and sacrifice.
Program
A collaborative effort between the UMJC and its approved graduate schools, MJTI and Netzer David, the program provides a core curriculum of ten courses, four of which can be taken as intensive leadership seminars offered at UMJC Conferences and Mid-Year Leaders' Retreats.
The two-year six-course online sequence consists of the following classes:
Messianic Jewish Theology
Tanakh: The Beginnings of Judaism and the Jewish People
Apostolic Writings: The Early Messianic Jewish Community
Messianic Jewish Spirituality
Jewish Practices in a Messianic Context
History of Judaism and the Jewish People
The two-year, four-seminar sequence consists of the following classes:
The Personal Life of a Spiritual Leader
Congregational Growth and Development
Basics of Synagogue Worship
Introductory Homiletics
The program also involves a one-year mentoring relationship with a UMJC rabbi, or other approved UMJC leader, and a reading plan that will take students through the entire Bible twice during the two years and lead to an oral exam. Because a Madrikh is a guide in Jewish life and Scripture, he or she will be required to demonstrate a basic knowledge of Hebrew.
How to Apply
Applications are available below. Completed applications should be sent to the Madrikh Program Coordinator Derek Leman (see application below).
To be eligible for admission to the licensure program, students must possess an undergraduate degree and participate in a UMJC congregation.
Qualified, mentored leaders were sent out in the days of the apostles. May tikkun olam increase as our movement grows its number and quality of leaders!
