Meet our Director

Shalom! We are excited to introduce you to the Director of Biblical Israel Ministries & Tours (BIMT), Rev. Dr. John DeLancey. “Pastor John” was the one who started “Biblical Israel Tours” (our former name) back in the early 1990s. Resulting from a transformational year of study in Jerusalem as a biblical archaeology and historical geography student (at JUC from 1981-82) and beginning at that point a deepened desire to understand the Bible from within the context of the land of Israel, his passion is to help bring the Bible come alive for people! To date, he has led 61 Israel tours (many of which included extensions to Jordan and Egypt), and 8 Greece & Turkey “Footsteps of Paul” trips.

Dr. John primarily credits his parents, who visited Israel many times when he was young and even excavated at a few sites as volunteers, for instilling a desire to make “Israel” an integral part of his pastoral and teaching ministry. He grew up in Perkasie, PA and attended the First Baptist Church. The ministries of this congregation also helped shape his spiritual walk of faith.

He is married to Sue. They have been married for 31 years (pictured was the “re-proposal” on top of Arbel for their 25th anniversary). They have 3 children – Joel, Hannah, and Rachel. In the household are also 2 Golden Retrievers and 3 cats. He enjoys trail running (ultra-marathons), baseball umpiring, and anything outdoors.

More About “Pastor John”

A graduate of Cedarville College of Ohio with a Degree in Biblical Studies and Archaeology (1979-83).
A one-year student at the Jerusalem University College (formerly called The Institute of Holy Land Studies) – 1981-82.
Excavated at 5 archaeological sites in Israel:
1. “Khirbet Nisya” (An possible site for the Old Testament city of Ai).
2. “Ir David” (Hebrew for The City of David, or Old Testament Jebus/Jerusalem).
3. Abel Beit Macaah, a new excavation of an OT site located up north near the Lebanon border (June, 2014).
4. Tel Gezer (June, 2016).
5. Tel es Safi – Gath (June, 2018)
Served as an archaeology tour guide in and around Jerusalem (summer of 1982).
A graduate of Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia, Pa. with a Masters of Divinity Degree (1985-89).
Post graduate studies at North Park Seminary of Chicago, IL (1989-90)
Doctor of Ministry degree from Trinity Seminary in November 2003, with a focus on Israel-related ministry.
Served as lead pastor for 26 years in two evangelical churches – Stoneridge Covenant Church, Allison Park, PA (1999-2016) and Calvary Covenant Church, Evansville, MN (1990-1999).
Tour Leader of 61 Israel Tours. Tour Leader of 8 Greece and Turkey tour as well.
Author of “Devotional Treasures from the Holyland“(2011, now in its 3rd edition, 2016). This is a 320 page resource that offers a devotional thought gleaned from 73 sites in Israel, using the Scriptural, archaeological, and and historical-geographical background of each site as the context. Each person who travels with us on an Israel Tour receives a complementary copy.
Author of many other resources in the form of PDF files on the Resource page.