Baptists for Israel started in 1974 when a group of Baptist college students went to Israel for two months to work as volunteers on a kibbutz. The name "Baptists for Israel" was given to the group by the Shaliach (Israeli representative) who believed it would be an interesting experiment for Baptists to work on a kibbutz.

This first group of Baptists left a great impact on the people and made many friends. They did a fantastic job as they worked (volunteered) in various areas of the kibbutz. They enjoyed visiting the Israeli families and came to love them. They enjoyed learning the songs of Israel and having the Israelis take them on trips to see the land. The Baptists were welcomed and invited to return summer and summer where they lived and worked on several kibbutzim.

Throughout our time in Israel, Baptists for Israel Institute has been able to build a highly specialized library, which as grown to over 3,000 volumes. The volumes emphasize Bible, theology, Israel’s geography, Israel’s ancient and modern history. It also includes many books about Jewish customs and holidays and Rabbinic Judaism and availability to scholarly works in various fields, online.