Why Are Pastors Still Bringing People to Israel?
One of the surprises of Israel’s hardest season has been the number of pastors flying their churches to the Promised Land.
After October 7, 2023, many expected the Holy Land to empty out. Instead, pastor after pastor came to do what Isaiah told us to do: “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God” (Isaiah 40:1). And here is an even bigger surprise. Most of the pastors I have brought are already planning their next church trip to Israel.
I am a pastor. My goal is to open doors to Israel. When I bring a group, two things happen at once. A church wakes up, and Israelis discover they are not alone.
I listen to the pastors who travel with me. Here is what they tell me about why they come — and why they come back.
Walk your people where Jesus still walks.
Many Christians have flown over Israel on their way somewhere else. A pastor can put Israel on the bucket list of dreams. A pastor-led Israel tour reminds your people that Israel is more than sightseeing. It is where God sees you.
Jesus walked here. He is still walking here. On the night before the cross He told His disciples, “After I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee” (Matthew 26:32). Jesus still goes ahead and waits to meet us. He makes the Holy Land holy. One pastor put it to his congregation this way: “A trip to Israel is an investment in your relationship with Jesus that will pay dividends for the rest of your life.”
Make the Bible real when everything feels unreal.
Artificial intelligence is training us to question every image we see and every paragraph we read. For our people, the Bible could quietly become one more app to swipe. One trip to Israel makes the Bible real. What was just black and white print expands into full screen HD clarity.
Taylor came on one of our Israel trips as a young adult. She had a background of agnosticism and a life full of doubts. Then she met Jesus through her local church and God provided the funds for her to travel. At Magdala she stood at the ruins of a newly excavated first-century synagogue. The tour group moved on. She stayed, weeping. I asked her why. “Jesus stood here,” she said. “Everything I read in the Bible is real. It really happened.”
After feeling that, I could not deny anyone that moment. I had to invite more.
Meet living stones, not just the stones of the past.
Israel is more than the rocks of archaeology. It is the living stones, the people who live in the land (1 Peter 2:5). When evangelical Christians meet Israelis attitudes change both directions.
Everyone in the world has an opinion about Israel today. Sadly, antisemitic attitudes are creeping into evangelical circles too. A Holy Land pilgrimage is more than places of the past but it is the people of today as well.
I teach our pilgrims one sentence that opens surprising conversations with Israelis they meet: “I’m an American Christian, and I’ve come to let you know you are not alone.” Disbelief, tears, and conversations often flow from that one question. Our travelers come home with the greatest souvenir Israel offers, friendships with Israelis. Israelis know they are not alone.
Start a community on the bus to change your church.
As much happens inside the tour bus as at the holy sites. I encourage people to change seats on the tour bus and meet someone new. Familiar strangers from Sunday morning become deep friends, because they are discovering the Promised Land together and meeting Jesus where He walked.
When pilgrims come home, their bond grows. One church trip to Israel can ripple through a congregation for years. Jesus becomes less of a historic figure and more of a living presence. Israel stops being just maps in the back of the Bible and becomes a place that feels like home.
Step through an open door into Israeli hearts.
October 7 broke Israeli hearts. The persecution their grandparents knew in other nations had now struck at home. What surprised Israelis was who came to comfort them: evangelical Christians. After 2,000 years of hurt, often from Christians, that comfort was unexpected.
Israel pilgrimage is more than just walking where Jesus walked. It’s to be like Jesus where he walked.
Most people in Israel have never met a follower of Jesus. You could be the first. I spent time with a community next door to Caesarea Philippi, far in Israel’s north, where Jesus said, “I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18). These Israelis asked me, “Why do the Christians visit this place? Why don’t they talk to us?” So now we bring groups to plant trees in their community and make new friends.
People will go to Israel if a pastor asks.
Churches send teams to serve in nations all over the world. Yet when Jesus sent believers to the nations, he mentioned only three places by name: “Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria” (Acts 1:8). Many people will never consider Israel travel unless asked by their pastor. If you are a pastor, you could be the one who puts Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria on the passport of your people.
Sar-El Tours puts Israel within reach of everyone, even in these difficult times. They have 32 years of experience keeping faith at the center and bringing travelers safely home. There has never been a better time to bring your church. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, and then come to Israel and bring that peace with you (Psalm 122:6).
About the author:
Philip's House organizes evangelical and Messianic Christian group trips to Israel for US churches, with biblical itineraries, pastoral support, and full trip operations in partnership with Sar-El Tours & Conferences. philipshouse.com