Our Guides

Our guides are gifted teachers, innovative communicators, and seasoned travelers.

Chris Gehrz

The owner and operator of Pietist Schoolman Travel, Chris is professor of history at Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he came in 2003 after completing his doctorate at Yale University. A past winner of Bethel’s Faculty Excellence Award for Teaching, Chris’ courses include World War I, World War II, The Cold War, Modern Europe, The History and Politics of Sports, and Christianity and Western Culture. Chris is the author or editor of six books, including an acclaimed spiritual biography of Charles A. Lindbergh. Follow him on Substack!

Chris in front of the Wartburg Castle (Eisenach, Germany)

Chris’ Favorite Place to Visit in the United States: the Blue Ridge Mountains

Chris’ Favorite Place to Visit outside the United States: London, England

Chris’ Favorite Museum in the World: the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC

Chris’ Favorite Meal in the World: Duck confit in a Paris café

Place Chris Has Never Been But Would Love to Visit: Tokyo, Japan

Mark Pattie

Mark is the senior pastor of Salem Covenant Church in New Brighton, Minnesota where he has served since 2006. A graduate of the University of Maryland and North Park Theological Seminary, Mark’s ministry has included serving in churches across the United States, working as a leadership consultant for pastors, churches, and corporate executives, and serving in various leadership roles in the Evangelical Covenant Church denomination including the Board of the Ordered Ministry and the Board of Christian Education and Discipleship.With Chris, he wrote The Pietist Option: Hope for the Renewal of Christianity (InterVarsity Press, 2017).

Mark on a hike in the Rocky Mountains

Mark’s Favorite Place to Visit in the United States: New England

Mark’s Favorite Place to Visit outside the United States: Jerusalem

Mark’s Favorite Museum in the World: Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

Mark’s Favorite Meal in the World: the mezze plate in Tiberias, Israel

Place Mark Has Never Been But Would Love to Visit: Alaska

Sam Mulberry

June 2019: Sam leading a walking tour of Paris sites where American expat writers like Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald lived and worked in the 1920s

Sam is assistant professor of history at his alma mater, Bethel University, where he directs the Academic Enrichment and Support Center and teaches Christianity and Western Culture with Chris. The 2017 winner of Bethel’s Faculty Excellence Award for Service, Sam spent his last sabbatical making a feature-length documentary film on teaching and produces numerous podcasts on the Channel 3900 network.

Sam’s Favorite Place to Visit in the United States: southern Oregon

Sam’s Favorite Place to Visit outside the United States: Dublin, Ireland

Sam’s Favorite Museum in the World: the British Museum in London, England

Sam’s Favorite Meal in the World: Chicago deep dish pizza

Place Sam Has Never Been But Would Love to Visit: Athens, Greece