Jason Crocker ’13/G’16鈥檚 journey at the University started when his hometown pastor encouraged him to transfer to a Bible college. In God鈥檚 timing, Jason was led to Cairn. He transferred into the biblical studies program with the intent to enroll in a seminary after graduation. When the time came to choose a seminary, he decided to stay at his alma mater. Earning a Master of Divinity degree at Cairn allowed him to stay connected to the faculty and continue to learn and serve at the church he had been attending. The local, beautiful young woman who would eventually become his wife听(Heather [Douglas] Crocker 鈥�13)听was certainly another deciding factor.
Within a year of graduation, Jason was candidating at the church where he now serves as the associate pastor. For the past seven years, he has been at Fellowship Bible Church in Northeast Philadelphia, where his primary responsibility is to oversee the youth and young adult ministries in addition to being on the preaching rotation. With Heather鈥檚 missions background, their family has been blessed to come alongside the church鈥檚 vision of missions and global ministry. In 2023, Jason spent two weeks in Cameroon, teaching, preaching, and helping to lead a conference for the pastors in the region.
While his ministry responsibilities are widespread, his approach to ministry has a singular philosophy: preach the Word and tell the truth. To make the gospel more appealing by weakening its message is a real temptation, especially for those whose livelihoods depend on filling the seats in front of their pulpits. But if we truly believe the Bible to be God鈥檚 Word, then there is no room for compromise. This was a particularly poignant lesson that Jason learned in his Hebrew studies with Dr. Schnittjer:
鈥淭hat class created a healthy, reverential fear in me. It reminded me that what is written in this book in front of me is, in fact, God鈥檚 Word, and it needs to be taken seriously. But how awesome is our God that he said, 鈥楾ake my Word seriously! Preach my Word! Yes, I know you will struggle to do so at times, but I鈥檓 still going to give it to you?鈥欌��
Jason loves God鈥檚 Word, God鈥檚 people, and teaching God鈥檚 people to love God鈥檚 Word. In his ministry, he has created spaces where fellow Christians can edify one another, dialogue about different theological views flows freely, and Scripture is the final authority.
鈥淚 always say, 鈥業f you鈥檙e not being sharpened amongst brothers and sisters, good luck being sharpened amongst wolves. They鈥檙e going to eat you alive. So I need to tell you the truth of Scripture, even when it鈥檚 hard.鈥欌��
This story was originially included in the Spring 2024 issue of .
