Jason Crocker ’13/G’16’s journey at the University started when his hometown pastor encouraged him to transfer to a Bible college. In God’s 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 (Heather [Douglas] Crocker ’13) 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’s missions background, their family has been blessed to come alongside the church’s 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’s Word, then there is no room for compromise. This was a particularly poignant lesson that Jason learned in his Hebrew studies with Dr. Schnittjer:
“That 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’s Word, and it needs to be taken seriously. But how awesome is our God that he said, ‘Take my Word seriously! Preach my Word! Yes, I know you will struggle to do so at times, but I’m still going to give it to you?’”
Jason loves God’s Word, God’s people, and teaching God’s people to love God’s 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.
“I always say, ‘If you’re not being sharpened amongst brothers and sisters, good luck being sharpened amongst wolves. They’re going to eat you alive. So I need to tell you the truth of Scripture, even when it’s hard.’”
This story was originially included in the Spring 2024 issue of Cairn magazine.
