Bio of CHAIM Director Fred Klett |
Education
After studying at Johns Hopkins University from 1971-1974, he became a Christian and then completed his undergraduate work at Towson State University in 1975. Rev. Klett earned his Masters degree at Westminster Theological Seminary, where he focused on Old Testament and Jewish studies whenever possible. He studied there from 1978-1983. He has gone through staff training with InterVarsity and Jews for Jesus and has participated in the Jews for Jesus Summer Campaign in New York City.
Ministry Experience
He has been in full-time Jewish ministry since 1984. He served for four years with the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship as a Jewish evangelism specialist, and then spent a year with The Messianic Jewish Center in downtown Philadelphia.
In 1989 a board was organized and Fred became director of CHAIM, CHristians Announcing Israel's Messiah. At that time there was no Jewish mission in the USA firmly committed to a Reformed and Covenantal position.
Rev. Klett was ordained as an evangelist by the PCA in 1990. He is the first ordained PCA evangelist specifically called and set apart to evangelize the Jewish people.
He served a four-year term (1995-1999) as Coordinator for the Lausanne Consultation on Jewish Evangelism in North America, an organization providing missiological study, cooperation, and networking among those involved in Jewish missions.
Recently he has taken on the leadership of Rock of Israel, a Russian Jewish PCA congregational plant in Northeast Philadelphia where he had functioned as associate church planter to founding pastor Ilya Berdichevsky.
Writing and Teaching
In addition to preaching in PCA, OPC, ARP and other churches throughout the United States and providing seminars in Jewish evangelism, Rev. Klett is also a Lecturer in Jewish Evangelism at Westminster Seminary Philadelphia. He has also taught at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, FL, is on faculty at Westminster Seminary in Escondido, CA and he has guest lectured at Covenant Seminary in St. Louis, MO.
Rev. Klett has published articles in New Horizons Magazine, The Theological Forum of the Reformed Ecumenical Synod, Issues - A Messianic Jewish Perspective, The Messianic Times, The Christian Observer, and has presented several papers at the Lausanne Consultation for Jewish Evangelism, two being published in the LCJE International Bulletin. His articles have appeared in two Russian language newspapers, Jewish Life and Advertisement and Life. He also writes the CHAIM Times newsletter and has produced Jewish-oriented evangelistic and discipleship materials.
Music
Fred has written a number of Jewish style gospel songs and can lead singing while accompanying himself on the guitar.
Family
Fred and his wife Jean were married in 1978. They have three children. The Kletts attend New Life PCA in Glenside, PA.