Pastors Guide for Organizing Tours to the Holy Land for your Church Members

The following are suggested steps to maximize a successful trip experience to the Land of the Bible:

Gather some information and give the members of your church a survey. This can be done with a print-out distributed during service or crate one online.

A survey could include the following questions:

• Are you interested in attending a trip to the Holy Land?
• How many in your family could join us?
• Have you visited Israel before?
• What would you like to see or experience during this trip?
• What kind of accommodations are you interested in 4 star or 5 star hotels?
• How many friends are you able to invite for this tour?
• Do you or anyone traveling with you require special needs/access?
• Which season of the year is best for you to attend a 10 (12, 13, or 15) day tour – Summer, fall, spring, or winter?
• Are you interested in helping promote the tour with us?

With the answers of the survey in hand, you’ll have a greater knowledge of how to plan your group. Provide an estimated number of attendees to us (your tour operator), and a preferred month to travel. Select one of our signature Holy Land tour Itineraries or create your own itinerary with our help. Your trip should be planned a minimum of 4-5 months in advance for a maximum time for planning, promoting, participation, availability, and pricing. We’ll require (your tour operator) a deposit to secure the land portion of the tour. Flights should be booked as early as possible, and understand that airfares can change frequently.

Teach your Church Members of the significance of traveling to where Jesus walked. Focus your lessons on the Scriptures and the biblical importance of visiting Israel. Some holy sites of inspiration can be:

Capernaum – referred as Jesus “own town” (Matthew 9:1).
Mount of Beatitudes – where the Lord preached the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 , Matthew 6 , Matthew 7 , Matthew 8).
Jordan River – where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist (John 1:29-33).
Mount of Olives – Jesus ascends in to heaven (acts 1).

Create excitement about your trip event. Make church announcements, distribute flyers, e-newsletter, and radio or media ads. Ask church members to use their social networks to get the word out about your Israel tour.

Have meetings to discuss your tour itinerary and to coordinate details the trip. Effective meeting planning will have you focused on necessary items to cover prior to meeting.

Important topics to cover are:

• An overview about Israel
• Israel Emergency Services
• How to stay connected and communications
• Travel insurance and health care in Israel
• Money exchange & Currency in Israel
• Electrical Appliances
• What to wear and dress codes in holy sites
• Have fun and learn some basic Hebrew words- “Shalom”
• Pray for your trip

On arrival to the Holy Land. We’ll (your tour operator) make all necessary coordination for your groups welcome and first impression of Israel. After a nights rest at your hotel your groups tour begins in the morning. The most important part of any successful Holy Land tour no matter the itinerary, is to take time to reflect and pray, and read from the Bible, providing a spiritual group experience.

After your return from the Land of the Bible, you’ll want to build on the success of your trip and perhaps organize regular tour for your Church members, making it an integral part of your ministry. Create enthusiasm and excitement talking about your experience to your ministry. Encourage your members to share and post pictures on their social media about the event. Set up a post tour meeting, to share the highlights, and set a date for a new trip to the Holy Land.

Some excellent resources for Christian Leaders and organizers: How do I begin a Holy Land Group Tour, Step by step Holy Land Tour Group Guide and see the Christian Leaders Tour Planning Guide.

Here are some planning tools and tips: Building an effective itinerary to the Holy Land, Weather in Israel, What to pack for a trip to Israel, Passport and visa requirements for Israel, Customs and immigration arriving in Israel, Staying and getting around in Israel.

Pastors and Christian Leaders contact us for information and help in preparing and organizing ministry tours to the Holy land.

To join one of our tours, register a travel tour group, select or customize an itinerary use the form below or call toll free USA/CAN: 1 800 933 4421.