Michael Onifer
Michael Onifer is the Founder of The Bethlehem Project, the Director of Vital Seed Ministries International and the author of God, Israel & You: The Scandalous Story of a Faithful God.
Shortly after his salvation in 2000 Michael felt a call to ministry. After several years of serving at his local church, teaching, preaching, leading a campus ministry, and a brief period as an interim youth pastor, he received a call to Israel.Michael is passionate about the fame of Jesus being restored to Israel. The Lord has given him a heart to see the Church “remember” the “covenants of promise” (Eph.2:11-13), embrace her spiritual heritage and partner with God’s redemptive purposes (Ps. 25:14). In addition to the physical and spiritual restoration of Israel, Michael’s ministry focuses on the Arab world, especially Palestinians in the West Bank. In response to the exodus of Christians from the Middle East and high unemployment rates, he began The Bethlehem Project, an initiative using Kingdom-centered business practices to generate small business, employ Palestinian Christians, and train leaders in the West Bank. In February of 2017, Michael was installed as the Director of Vital Seed Ministries International, a faith based, not for profit corporation that serves the local church through fueling global missions and empowering Kingdom-minded businesses. Through trips to Israel, preaching, teaching, publications, and The Bethlehem Project, Michael is cultivating relevant and successful support for Israel, Messianic believers and Palestinian Christians as well as facilitating global missions and Kingdom-business ventures. Michael’s ministry has had a distinct impact on the next generation. For over a decade Michael has trained Christian young adults connecting them to the Hebraic character of their faith, the Jewish identity of Jesus, developing their biblical worldview, and empowering them to participate in redemptive history as ambassadors of the Kingdom. Michael’s first book, God, Israel & You: The Scandalous Story of a Faithful God was published in April of 2016. Michael, along with his wife Asha and their sons Abner and Levi, live in Jacksonville, North Carolina.