Joshua Meynell
Pursuing academic Biblical study while reaching Arabs and Jews in Israel.
Around 180,000 people in Israel (about 2% of the population) are Christian, with about 75% of these being Arab Israelis who are largely Catholic or other denominations.
Israel is in need of gospel workers who are informed about the Bible, and willing to take the time to study both Hebrew and Arabic. Further, much of the Evangelical community is divided between the Arabic and Jewish groups. The Fellowship of Christian Students in Israel (FCSI) is doing incredible work towards bringing Arab and Jewish students who believe in Jesus together, while sharing the gospel on campuses to students of all backgrounds.
Vision and calling
Having spent 2 years from 2021-2023 doing full-time student ministry with IFES in Israel, I am returning to live in Jerusalem. I will be starting a PhD in Biblical Hebrew at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, while perfecting my modern Hebrew and Arabic skills in order to use as much time as possible to serve in Evangelism, Student, and Youth Ministry.
I have a passion for apologetics and defense of the Bible in an academic context, while also thinking seriously about longer term work in Israel and Palestine, supporting churches and sharing the gospel. For this, it is very important to work hard on language skills, as well as gaining academic credentials which might enable me to stay in Israel in the future, and may lead to academic ministry in its own right.
About me
I have just finished an MPhil in Biblical Hebrew from Cambridge. My primary academic interests relate to the composition of the Old Testament based on the linguistic data, investigating evidence that the Old Testament was composed earlier than has been suggested by some scholars. I speak Modern Arabic and Hebrew to a reasonable level (I previously reached a stage with Arabic where I could explain the gospel, and my Hebrew is not far behind), and I want to reach fluency in both. Study will take up a large amount of time, so this next year will be a mixture of preparing for the future, as well as seeking to give time to evangelism and discipleship week by week. I will reconnect with the churches, student ministries, and children’s camps with whom I have served before.
