Dr. Doug Bookman
Professor and Israel Trip Leader
Dr. Doug Bookman
Professor and Israel Trip Leader
What is the Israel Initiative?
The Israel Initiative is Shepherds Theological Seminary’s commitment to get students to the Holy Land for a 2-week study course at minimal cost. You can read more below about why STS thinks this trip is so important for students.
Is the Trip Really Free?
What's the Trip Like?
The Israel Study Trip is intense! Spanning 2-weeks, the trip is an intensive course covering the history and geography of the Holy Land—Old Testament to New Testament. Days usually begin at 8am and end about 7-8pm.
Second, it is worth mentioning that we live in that remarkable and very narrow window of history during which the land of Israel – a land which was functionally closed from AD 70-1967 – is actually accessible. The Apostle Paul testified to a special love for the people of Israel , and his desire was that all believers would have an affection for Israel as well (Rom 9:1-5; 11:28-36). The modern state of Israel is the most dramatic and important concentration of Jewish people and culture since AD 70, and that nation is much cherished at STS because of our grammatical-historical hermeneutic and exegesis.
Given all of that, the seminary continues to raise the funds necessary to provide a full two-week study trip for its credit students every year.
Since participation in the trip is limited, we ask that each potential traveler submit an application. After the application is reviewed and a decision has been made, you will receive an email regarding your eligibility for the trip. If approved, you will receive further information at that time.
The study trip for the 2022-2023 Academic Year is scheduled for December 10-22, 2022. For a detailed itinerary, please see the “Israel Trip Travel Itinerary” below.
Before submitting your application, please read the following documents:
To apply for the Israel initiative, please use these forms: