Tour Resources

Tour Leaders

Tom Zelt

Tom is the Lead Teaching Pastor at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Fremont, CA. His passion is helping people understand the Scripture and the reality of what God has done! He holds a BA and a teaching credential from Concordia University, Seward, NE, and is a graduate of Concordia Seminary in St. Louis (MDiv). He completed his MA in Biblical Geography at the American Institute of Holy Land Studies in Jerusalem with a short stint at the Albright Institute of Archaeological Research, being part of digs at Bethsaida and Timnah. He earned his doctorate from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena. He teaches courses in Israel for Concordia Seminary, St Louis, and, and for 35 years, regularly leads study tours in Israel. He is the author of The Linch Pin, Seven Reasons to Believe Jesus Rose from the Dead, the video Bible studies God in the Real World, and Jesus in the Real World, and several journal articles. He is the founder of Impact Biblical Resources. He is married to Sue, has two grown children who are teachers, and seven grandkids.

Peter Frank

Pastor Peter Frank serves as Senior Pastor at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Conover, North Carolina. He’s married to Laura and is dad to three great kids: Sawyer, Melody, and Everett. He is a second-career pastor, having spent 15 years at Concordia Publishing House as a bookstore manager and marketer.
“On our recent trip to Israel, I was reminded once again of the reality of God’s Word. Scripture moved from the pages to the very places where we stood. That’s where Jesus lived, died, and rose again. It was a powerful reminder that our salvation is not theory but history—real events in real places, for us. I’m eager to lead future Bible study tours so others can see, hear, feel, and even smell that reality for themselves, and return home with a deeper faith and a more joyous hope.”

Jeff Scheich

“I’ve been a pastor in the Lutheran Church for 40 years, serving in 2 congregations (New York and Nebraska). In 2015, some congregational members took my wife (Melinda) and I to Israel and we’ve been hooked ever since on helping people experience walking in the footsteps of Jesus. I love to bring the Bible to life in the land where it all happened. I’ve been to Israel twice with Dr. Tom Zelt as a student, and have led four Biblical learning experiences in the Holy Land, the most recent of which were in October 2022 and September 2023. Three more trips are scheduled in 2026 … when will your trip be???”

Cara Berg

Cara Berg grew up in the Pacific Northwest and earned her B.A. in Early Childhood and Elementary Education with minors in Music and Professional Churchwork from Concordia University, Portland. She has undertaken postgraduate studies emphasizing the scholarly interpretation and instruction of biblical texts, with particular focus on their historical, cultural, and literary contexts within the Ancient Near East. She has served as Director of Worship Arts & Music at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church and School in Fremont, CA since 2015, following eight years of teaching and directing music in a Christian school. Cara enjoys time with her husband and two children, songwriting with The Songwriter Initiative from the Center for Worship Leadership (Concordia University Irvine), and leading Bible study tours in Israel. “I am ready to bring people to Israel so that they way they read and hear scripture is changed forever. We have been taught by Dr. Tom Zelt and he has passed down his passion and the passion of his teachers to us. I can’t wait to go back”