Ever wondered what it would be like to do church ‘Hebraically’?

Book your place now and join the movement to find out!

We are delighted to bring you a roundup of Steve Maltz’s 2017 Foundations conferences, which offer fantastic teaching, worship and fellowship all geared towards helping Christians discover the Hebraic roots of the faith.

Foundations North-West: Friday 24th – Sunday 26th February 2017

Abbot Hall Hotel, Grange-Over-Sands, Cumbria

Theme: Does the church really understand Israel and the Jewish people?

Cost: £185 per person (ensuite), £165 per person (standard)

***Last-minute places still available, see below for booking information***

Foundations 8 Annual Week-Day Conference: Monday 3rd – Friday 7th April 2017

Abbot Hall Hotel, Grange-Over-Sands, Cumbria

Theme: Livin’ the Life!

Cost: £300 per person (ensuite), £260 per person (standard). Short break deals and concessions available.

***BOOK NOW and secure your place with a £60 deposit – see below for booking information***

Foundations South: Friday 11th – Sunday 13th August 2017

High Leigh Conference Centre, Hoddesdon, Herts

Theme: Controversies!

Cost: £200 per person (ensuite), £170 per person (standard)

Booking: Booking not yet open.

***CANCELLED*** Foundations South Wales: Friday 8th – Sunday 10th September 2017

Foundations North: Friday 24th – Sunday 26th November 2017

Willersley Castle Hotel, Matlock, Derbyshire

Theme: The Hebraic Jesus

Cost: £180 per person (mostly ensuite)

Booking: Booking not yet open.

Booking Information

To book your place, visit www.foundationsconferences.com, email Steve Maltz at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or call 020 8551 1719.

Rosemary Bamber reviews the latest of Steve Maltz's Hebraic roots conferences, which took place earlier in December.

Foundations Conferences are a new and interesting phenomena! Until recently, they have been 5-day conferences held annually (more or less) in the spring, at The Quinta in Shropshire. However, founder Steve Maltz and his team are now branching out with smaller weekend regional conferences. This year, the second of these took place at the beginning of December, in the comfortable, pleasant surroundings of Brunel Manor, Devon.

A large percentage of delegates had never been to a Foundations Conference before (I had previously been to three out of the seven held in Shropshire and so was considered to be a bit of an 'old hand'!). Testimonies now featured on the Saltshakers website show the things that delegates most appreciated:

• "the friendliness. The Holy Spirit leading, the gathering together of like hearts and minds" (Cheryl)
• "dedication of the organisers and a sense of oneness of participants, freedom to express oneself with new and innovative ways to explore, genuine love for the Lord and a desire to please, worship and obey Him" (Anita)
• "relaxed atmosphere, genuine fellowship, opportunity to express gifts, free worship, excellent teaching" (Colin)

Putting Our Confidence Back in Scripture

The Foundations Conferences have grown out of Steve Maltz's books and ministry. The idea is not only to learn about his definition of Hebraic church, but also to have a taster of it. Each of the Conferences has accompanied the launch of his latest book and so their content has run parallel to his books as they have come out.

Steve has succeeded in his books to convey in an engaging manner important truths about the contrast between Greek and Hebraic thinking. Building on that understanding, he has shown where the Western Church has been influenced by Greek philosophy, leading to departures in certain areas from Hebraic thinking and biblical truth. Examples would be the adoption of Replacement Theology and liberal theologies, and the silencing of the 'laity'.

Foundations is putting out a call to return to a confident trust in the Bible as our ultimate source of authority and revelation and with that, a return to understanding the Hebraic or Jewish roots of the faith.

Foundations is putting out a call to return to a confident trust in the Bible as our ultimate source of authority and revelation.

Doing Hebraic Church

The Devon conference really drew on the supreme success of 'Foundations 7', the 'bravest' of Steve's conferences to date where he decided to include a day putting Hebraic church into practice. This meant that we had a worship session which wasn't led from the front but was led by all according to the direction of the Holy Spirit. The use of spiritual gifts was encouraged, so that the whole body could be released and built up.

We also had long free times when people could choose their own activities. They could preach, debate Scripture, read or listen to the Bible, go on a prayer walk, do creative activities, learn Israeli dance, sing in a choir, or pray alone or with others.

This formula from Foundations 7 was carried over into the Devon weekend conference. There were four teaching sessions, but there were also free times when people could participate in different activities designed to release us in our gifts - or simply allow us to try something new.

Hebraic Roots Teaching

The four teaching sessions on the Hebrew roots of the Bible and the need for a correct interpretation of Scripture based on its Jewish history and context were given by José de Silva. José has clearly studied this subject deeply and is very knowledgeable. He taught about the two olive trees (i.e. Jew and Gentile) in Zechariah 4, and about how the Jewish Rabbinic teaching on the logos (memra in Aramaic) is clearly outlined in John 1.

José showed how New Testament theology is based clearly on the Jewishness of the Old Testament. There was an emphasis on the errors of Replacement Theology and how the Church has been robbed of the understanding of God's everlasting covenants towards the Jews. José exhorted us to have an expectation that all Israel will be saved (Rom 11:26) and to understand that the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable (Rom 11:29).

The Devon conference made plenty of time to put 'Hebraic church' into practice.

Where Next?

The interesting question raised at the conference is: where do we go from here? Studying these subjects and exploring our Hebraic roots is undoubtedly fantastic, but inevitably throws up questions which will have to be tackled as the movement grows; such as: how do we engage with the Church without becoming separatist or elitist? And how can we best engage with people who have different emphases and outlooks?

Nevertheless, these conferences always provide a really special time and come very highly recommended. The testimonies of delegates speak for themselves:

• "Thank you for a truly wonderful weekend. I was so excited on the Friday night that I texted back to my church leaders that 'I thought I had died and gone to heaven' with the worship!!!!! Whew." (Marion)
• "I was only there for the day but wanted more! Although active and fairly intense, I was energised and invigorated by the whole experience. This was Church!" (Betty)
• "For me it was akin to arriving at Elim with its 12 springs of water after a long and thirsty walk through the wilderness!...Having sampled Foundations for a second time I am now convinced that this is a move of God. May the Lord fulfil this vision in this nation and beyond for the sake of the house of the Lord our God!" (Barry)

Paul Luckraft interviews author Steve Maltz, whose books have been reviewed recently in Prophecy Today UK.

"I was born to write, that is my gift" says Steve Maltz. Or rather, that is what he writes in one of his many books (The Bishop's New Clothes). He would not claim to be a preacher or teacher, he just writes what God puts on his heart, and that for him makes life interesting and ultimately rewarding.

I had heard of Steve many years ago through his 'Saltshakers' website and a handful of his books, but once I discovered the extent of his ever-expanding output and the subject matter of his writings, my desire grew to learn more of how God had shaped his life and was using his remarkable gift. So when we met for coffee in London I knew I was in for a fascinating time.

From Secular Judaism to Christianity

Steve's background is one of secular Judaism. His family expected him to go through his Bar Mitzvah, which he dutifully did but without any real religious convictions. Instead, he entered the Gentile world still seeking reality and truth but always with the fear that this would separate him from his Jewish roots and community.

Going to university enabled him to continue his search alongside others on similar paths. It also meant he met Christians who began to have an influence on his life. After several more years of searching, a heart change eventually took place and he began his Christian life in 1987.

Trying to Bless God

Steve would describe himself as a bit of a maverick. In effect he is a freelance writer, designer and innovator. He is an ideas man, not afraid to try out anything that he thinks could be successful, and if one thing doesn't work out he moves on to something else. But he has always been a writer or creator of one kind or another, whether writing secular screenplays and dramas, video and computer games, or inventing board games and designing websites, all of which he would sum up as being 'nearly successful'. His early professional life was a frustrating time. Looking back, he realised that God was saying "you are not ready yet". He was about to find out why.

Steve's early professional life was frustrating – looking back, he realised that God was saying "you are not ready yet".

Steve always knew he had a creative writing gift and on becoming a Christian assumed automatically that God would use him in his Kingdom in this way. He believed he had to devote his skills to ministry. God surely needed him. "Here am I. Send me!" he cried out, before God had even asked "Whom shall I send?"

So Steve drew up a strategy of how he was going to bless God, and set about implementing it, thinking how glad God must be that he was now on his side. For many years he plodded away, writing and devising, but most of what he attempted soon fizzled out. Undaunted, he simply moved on to the next project. There was always something new up his sleeve, another idea to take out the drawer, dust down and put before God, whether he wanted it or not.

On God's Terms

But when his initial attempts at Christian ministry failed to produce much fruit he turned again to the secular world, writing screenplays and designing websites. Eventually God got through to him: if you stop your vain efforts trying to 'make it' and write what I want, I will find you an audience. With this fresh revelation in mind, his latest carefully-researched TV drama was ditched and instead he wrote a short article entitled 'The Idiot's Guide to the Middle East conflict.' From this point he testifies that "God's favour came my way."

This short guide was published in 2002 by CFI as a booklet, re-titled (perhaps not surprisingly!) as The Plain Man's Guide to the Middle East, and something new had begun. A ministry was birthed on God's terms. Steve had learnt that his ministry should serve God - rather than the other way round!

Eventually God got through to Steve and persuaded him to stop his own efforts to 'make it', and instead write what the Lord wanted.

When a fuller book version of the original article was produced, under the title The Land of Many Names: towards a Christian understanding of the Middle East conflict, two publishers wanted it. It not only sold well but led to another book, The People of Many Names, about the Jewish people and God's plans for them. But Steve was to find that the publishing world wasn't always a straightforward one to deal with. However, now that he was writing the books God wanted he wasn't going to stop! Steve isn't the sort of person to be put off that easily – he simply set up his own outlet, Saffron Planet Publishing.

Recent Projects

The last few years have been the most interesting for Steve as God opened his eyes to the dynamics that have driven the Church for 2,000 years, in particular the battle between the original Hebraic way of thinking and the pagan Greek mindset that had infiltrated the Church from the first century onwards. Once he realised the importance of this he committed to exploring it thoroughly and this has been the theme of many of his recent books.

Meanwhile, he is also busy in many other areas. One of his earlier successes, the Saltshakers website, is still going strong and now also contains a radio page featuring recorded audio material running on a 24/7 loop, but which also allows for live chats, discussions and talks at regular intervals. The overall vision for Saltshakers is that it should be a biblical Messianic community, providing a portal for teaching, news, articles and videos.

Clearly Steve's web skills come to the fore in projects like this but despite being capable of doing so much himself he also recognises he needs others around him. Every new venture needs partners and support, and God has always provided Steve with the right people at the right time, whether in the realm of technical support, practical help or spiritual guidance.

God has always provided Steve with the right people at the right time, whether in terms of technical support, practical help or spiritual guidance.

Chris Hill has been his spiritual mentor over many years and is a key figure in another aspect of Steve's ministry – the Foundations conferences. The initial conference was in January 2012 on the theme of what has gone wrong with the Church. The aim was not only to provide teaching from the front but also for people to come and share, and to find out what God is saying today. The conferences have developed over time and this year sees the seventh one, the theme being Hebraic Church - also the title of Steve's latest book.

These conferences are an amazing venture for a man who initially feared speaking in front of any kind of large group, something he avoided until he realised he could do so no longer. Once it had become a necessary part of what God wanted him to do, then he found that God gave him the courage to fulfil this part of his calling.

Doing What God Wants

Steve can say that he has become more aware of 'God moments', times when God takes charge and controls what he is doing, making sure it grows without becoming burdensome or unmanageable. Steve knows he is part of something big but that he doesn't need to carry it all. He believes that "Everything is a matter of God's timing". In the right time people come to him, he doesn't need to find them, and the snowball rolls on, growing as it goes.

Steve is a visionary, an enterprising chap with a lively creative mind, bursting with ideas. But he knows that effort and ideas are not enough. Many false starts have taught him that what God wants is what really matters.

Steve has become more aware of 'God moments', times when God takes charge and things grow without becoming burdensome or unmanageable.

Words pour out of him, whether spoken or written, but always with wit, warmth and wisdom. His words make so much sense both to the mind and the heart. He modestly says that his books were written largely for his own benefit, to explain to himself what he was learning, but by inviting you to share his journey he hopes you will benefit too. Everything he does serves to help others grow in understanding, love and Christian service. And that is the best gift of all.

Find out more about Steve Maltz's ministry by visiting the Saltshakers website. You can read our reviews of three of his books by clicking these links: How the Church Lost The WayThe Way, How the Church Lost The Truth and To Life.