Advance Cohort: Jason Philip

The Advance Initiative National Cohort exists to empower, equip, and encourage ministry-minded men who are exploring a calling to pastor or plant gospel-centered, multiethnic churches as or among Indian Americans. Our current Cohort has gathered five men from around the country who are exploring church planting together. We have been meeting together since September of 2016. Our hope is to give you the opportunity to meet these five men over the next several months and to hear their thoughts and prayers.

Tell us a little about yourself. 

I currently am a member of the Community Church of Great Neck located in Long Island, NY. Over the course of 2016, I served as a pastoral intern, focusing on the needs of my church. However, since 2014, my wife and I strongly sensed the Lord was drawing us towards church planting around the neighborhood we call home in Bellerose, NY. As we entered 2017, God opened the doors for us to embark on a new direction, entering into the first steps of church planting among the unreached people groups in our neighborhood. As of today, I am in a season of praying and connecting with local church bodies and leaders to see what difference my family can make among the abundant immigrant population in our neighborhood.

Describe your desire for ministry.

My desire for ministry started when I was 16 years old. That was the first year I felt a strong desire to use my life to serve Christ in any possible way I knew I could. Of course, I was still trying to understand what ministry really looked like in reality, what I could contribute to God’s kingdom work. I had some bits and pieces put together in my mind, but I knew that God needed to shape much of my thinking so that I would not put God and ministry into a box. Even up to today, God is still revealing more and more about what ministry really is. One major thing that He has molded into my understanding of ministry is that ministry is not so much about what you can outwardly do in the name of Christ but more so how you desire to intimately live with and faithfully honor Christ both internally and externally. This revelation really revolutionized how I saw God as my Father and Savior, not as a boss but as a loving Father and friend who is inviting me to be a part of His kingdom work. This idea also changed how I ought to serve Him not only externally, but also in my thought life and prayer life. This idea also changed how I served by teaching me to live by faith instead of by sight.

What led you to participate in the Advance Cohort?

At first I wasn’t sure that I would be able to commit to the Advance Cohort, but now I am so glad that I did. Church planting has been in my heart since 2014 and the journey has been very rich. However, around the time that I was joining the Advance Cohort, I noticed that I kept focusing on multi-cultural church planting while forgetting my own people, South Indians. I live in a predominantly South Indian neighborhood in Queens, NY and I desire to learn how to make disciples in this area through church planting.

What is the most important thing that you’ve learned or been challenged by within the Cohort so far?

The most important thing that stands out to me is the unity of our mentors at Advance. In my experience growing up in the Indian church, I observed that it seemed nearly impossible for Malayalee men to confide in, trust, and pray with each other. I see the relationship that these guys have and it models brotherly love and servanthood. I desire to see this type of plurality of leadership modeled in every church.

What is one word of encouragement you would give to someone considering ministry? 

One question I would ask a person considering ministry is, “what do you want?” As you navigate through that question, I would also ask: “does your heart break for the mission of Jesus to seek and to save the lost?” This is a matter of counting the cost of following Jesus, not out of a religious duty but through a devotion to him.

How can we pray for you?

• On February 25, my wife and I were blessed with a healthy baby boy. His name is Elias Joniel Philip. Pray that Tammy and I parent him well and bring him up in the ways of the Lord.
• Pray that He continues to provide for us as we grow our family.
• Pray that God would start and continue to give us a passion for making disciples in our neighborhood and to pursue what He has called us to go after.
• Pray for a local church that we can be apart of to nurture us in our calling.