Philip McNeill was born in Ireland and grew up in Canada. His father was bi-vocational, working in the workforce and pastoring congregations at the same time. As a young man Philip worked in several businesses and eventually started his own small enterprise. With a desire for business and to learn, he attended university in Canada studying business administration but then felt a call to ministry attending Elim Bible Institute in Lima, New York and graduating in 1987. After graduation, Phil founded a traveling ministry. It had anywhere from 6 to 12 people on the team ministering in music and word. It traveled for five years mostly here in the states but also overseas. It ministered in approximately 225 churches per year. His group’s emphasis was on ministering God’s grace to people through the comfort and gifts of the Holy Spirit.

In the fall of 1993, at the invitation of Pastor Michael Cavanaugh of Elim Gospel Church, Phil assumed the pastorate of a Saturday night church plant in Henrietta, NY. This church plant merged with another small group in May 1994, starting a whole new church with the name Word of Life Christian Fellowship.

Phil served as an area rep for Elim Fellowship from 2000 till 2006 and was appointed to the Council of Elders in December 2004. Phil graduated in 2009 from Northeastern Seminary at Roberts Wesleyan College with a Master of Divinity. From 2010-2014, he served as an Elim Fellowship Regional Rep. In 2015, Phil was appointed as General Secretary of Elim Fellowship. Many times during the year Phil is invited out to minister in prophetic presbytry, preaching, and almost annually goes to different nations to minister with missionaries from Word of Life.

Phil and Sheryl have been married since 1991 and have four daughters (ranging in age from high school to post college) who genuinely love the Lord and serve in the local church.