Over the next several months, The Advance Initiative will be sharing the stories of Indian Americans who are serving the Lord within the local church in cities all across the U.S. Their backgrounds, experiences, and roles may differ, but their desire is the same – to make much of Jesus through the planting of gospel-centered, multiethnic churches. Our hope is that these stories would encourage you, inform you, and lead you to give glory to God for what He is doing in our generation.
This week, meet Dennis John, pastor at Calvary Fellowship of Broomall, PA.
Tell us a little about yourself.
I was born & raised in Philadelphia and grew up in a traditional Indian church. In my late teens, I started attending a non-denominational American church on the weekends, where I started to further grow in my understanding of scripture and faith. After serving in the youth group at the Indian church for several years, I moved to Fort Lauderdale, FL in 2005 to attend the Calvary Chapel Bible Institute to pursue a degree in pastoral studies. A few years later, in 2009, I was married to my beautiful wife Anisha (a native Florida girl). In 2011, I started working on staff as a youth pastor at Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale and served in the Family Ministry for 3 years. In Dec 2014, we moved back to PA to plant a church fellowship in Broomall, PA.
Briefly describe the story of your call to plant a church.
After getting married, I fell in love with Florida. I was working as a youth pastor and Anisha was working as a pharmacist at Walgreens. We loved the beautiful beaches, warm weather, and great Caribbean food. We had a beautiful house in South Florida and God had blessed us with amazing friends. We were grateful for what we were doing and were settled in comfortably.
However, for several years, God was doing something in my heart and I started sensing that He may want us to step out in faith to start a church somewhere. For several years, I started praying about different cities on the East coast, until I knew for certain that God wanted us back in the Philly area. I later asked Anisha to pray, and she felt that God was really speaking to her about moving to Philly as well. One thing that really confirmed this decision for her was that he job started to suddenly get difficult after 8 years. Still, we decided to ask church friends and church leaders for counsel and prayer, and we continued to see God’s confirmation on our call to leave. A few months later in Sept 2014, we both quit our jobs, sold our house, said goodbye to our friends & family, packed everything onto a U-Haul truck and moved to PA. It has definitely been a radical change, but we’ve sensed the comfort and peace of being in the center of His will.
What are some of the challenges you face in church planting?
One of the biggest challenges in planting church has been juggling the multiple responsibilities & time commitments of church planting. As a church planter, you not only have to spend many hours in preparing for your teaching commitments, but there are countless other things that go on behind the scenes – counseling, crisis situations, insurance issues, QuickBooks, purchasing music equipment, social media issues, and so on. In addition to this, there are the responsibilities of being a husband and a father. As a church planter, you don’t always have the staff or volunteer help that an established church has. However, I believe the Lord supernaturally equips & assists church planters to co-labor with Him, as He builds His church. Though the labor can be time consuming and at times hard, it has been a blessing to see the “fruit” of hard labor & a joy to watch Jesus work.
What unique advantages and struggles did you face as an Indian American in church-ministry?
I think the story of the rich, young ruler in Matt 19 personifies the dilemma and struggle that many Indian American Christians, and especially church planters, have to face. This young man was educated, wealthy, and probably lived a comfortable life. However, Jesus saw the idols in this young man’s life that prevented radical discipleship, and He told him this: “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me (Matt 19:21).”
This is a story that speaks to me and what I believe is indicative of where the traditional Indian Christian church is today. The greatest challenge for me has been to let go of the “American dream” and pursue a gospel-centered life – a life that is not dependent on a lucrative career, upward mobility in a company, or a prestigious degree in business, medicine, law, or engineering. Obviously, having an education isn’t a bad thing. However, it can easily become an idol in our Indian sub-culture that often times prevents us from following the call that Jesus has on each one of our lives. I’ve learned that the greatest investment that we can make for the next billion years (and longer!) is to invest in sharing the good news of Jesus Christ & living for Him during our short time here on earth.
On the other hand, Indian American church planters have several advantages in building new church communities. Most of our parents migrated from India and worked tirelessly in America to learn a new language, adopt its customs, and raise families in an unfamiliar culture. As a result, many Indian American’s have developed a strong work ethic and a tireless perseverance from watching their parents assimilate – a quality that is invaluable in church planting. Also, as society becomes increasingly diverse, I believe that God has positioned us cultural emissaries for the propagation of the gospel. There are elements of our cultural tradition that can serve as bridges to other sub-cultures so that we can minister effectively in a multi-cultural society.
What advice do you have for Indian Americans who are wrestling with the decision to plant a church or to serve at a church plant?
Anyone who plants a church or decides to support a church plant knows that this can be a gut wrenching and difficult decision. First, make sure that God has called you to step out. The apostle Paul would often declare that he was called to be an apostle (Rom 1:1), and he often reiterates this throughout the New Testament. Spend a lot of time in prayer seeking the Lord. Seek Godly counsel. Don’t step out unless you are absolutely sure that God has called you.
Secondly, I would say that your relationship with Jesus must be front & center in your life. Your walk with Jesus shouldn’t be a checklist of things that have to be done throughout the week. There should be a freshness and a joy in serving that arises from your walk with Him. Things like spending time with the Lord, enjoying His presence, or studying His Word should never take precedence over anything.
Finally, it has been said that ministry can easily become the mistress in your marriage, and we shouldn’t neglect spending time with our wives, going on dates, or enjoying life with one another for the sake of answering another e-mail or working on our next teaching. Your marriage is much more important than your church plant. Church people will come and go through different seasons, but your wife & your family will always be by your side.
What’s the most important thing you’ve learned along the way?
In Matthew 16:18, Jesus tells Peter that “I will build my church.” The greatest lesson that I’ve learned is that Jesus is the one that builds churches, and the job of church leadership is simply to obey what He has called us to do in His Word. So often, church planters will strive tirelessly to build a church upon a business strategy, growth programs, or personality-driven models. However, as we look to the New Testament as the ultimate church planting manual, we can take comfort in knowing that Jesus loves the church and that He will build it in His time & in His unique way. We don’t have to become discouraged about attendance, financial challenges, the lack of volunteers, difficult personalities, or other issues that may arise. Jesus is in control and He will build His church regardless. This truth has allowed me to serve Him with great joy as we plant this church.
How can we pray for you?
Pray that our family would only grow to love Jesus as we start this new adventure in PA. Pray for the city of Broomall and Delaware County, that many people would come to experience a fresh, vibrant relationship with Jesus.
