Kehillat Yeshua Ministries is a Messianic ministry based in the Chattanooga, TN area.
Put simply, we believe that the Torah (God's instructions as found in Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation) are still relevant and obligatory for believers today. Not out of some misguided attempt to earn salvation (ie. legalism), but out of a heart that desires to obey the Creator since He knows what's best for us. You may already be familiar with groups that call themselves Messianic or perhaps "Hebrew Roots." We have found there is quite a bit of baggage associated with these terms, and each carries its own theological and doctrinal nuances. For Kehillat Yeshua Ministries however, we prefer to define ourselves as a Messianic ministry, and not a Hebrew Roots one. (note: see document here for an explanation of the differences: Messianic and Hebrew Roots_rev1.docx)
2020-2021
Our ministry started out as a home fellowship named Nehemiah Restoration Fellowship (NRF) meeting in homes in 2020, and despite the challenges the year brought we nonetheless persevered. We started with just five (5) families, but within just a few months grew enough that our gatherings could not be contained in living rooms any longer.
We started with three overseers (elders, co-pastors) who split the burden of teaching and leading the congregation. It soon became clear that we needed a central meeting location, and more organization. So we started our filing to become an official non-profit organization, with a board of directors to provide oversight and accountability.
In April, 2021, we began public meetings every Sabbath in The Church of God at Jerusalem Acres building in Cleveland, TN. Within just the first few weeks, our size actually decreased.
It seemed Adonai had plans we did not anticipate, and two of the three co-founding leaders moved out of state for new opportunities just three months apart. The congregation then became home to a few new members, attending from as far south as the Blue Ridge, GA area.
We were able to live stream services every week and built up a following of dedicated online viewers each week. Despite this, the local congregation continued to shrink for various reasons as members relocated during the economic shake-up of 2021.
2021-2022
Starting in Spring of 2022, NRF leadership made the decision to forego public meetings for the time being and take a Sabbatical, instead focusing on the growing the ministry that was seeing growth, the online teaching ministry. At this same time, we rebranded the ministry from Nehemiah Restoration Fellowship to Kehillat Yeshua Ministries.
Spring 2022-Present
At present, Kehillat Yeshua Ministries does not operate weekly services at a local congregation, though we do regularly produce new teaching material. Our goal is to build the ministry over the next year so that we can re-establish a local congregation as Adonai sees fit, and hopefully be able to do so with our own land and our own building.
If you would like to partner with us in this endeavor and contribute to our building fund, you may do so through our Giving portal, and add “building fund” to the notes of your gift.
All donations are used for ministry efforts as none of our staff presently receive any financial compensation for their service.
