Born:               May 25, l932, in Liberty, N.C.

Education:       Received the bachelor of arts degree, with a major in Greek, from Wake Forest College (now University), Winston‑Salem, N.C., and the master of divinity, master of theology in New Testament interpretation, and doctor of ministry in pastoral counseling degrees from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, N.C.  Chaplain intern and resident, North Carolina Memorial Hospital, Chapel Hill, l971‑73.  Center for Creative Leadership (Executive Management course/workshp), Eckerd College, 1985, and Foundations of Leadership workshop, 1997; certified as Foundations of Leadership Feedback Specialist for Center For Creative Leadership and International Centre for Creative Leadership, 1997.

Married:          Rachel Kerr of Durham, N.C.

Children:         Deborah, Stephen, Philip and Michael are grown.  Deborah and Chris served with the IMB for eight years on Mauritius and in Japan with their three children. Stephen and Barbara with their three children have been with the IMB for 25 years serving in the Philippines, Kazhakistan, Turkministan, and has taught cross-cultural church planting across Europe for the past 8 years, now living in Germany.  Phil and Cyndi live in Birmingham, Ala where he is a lay-leader in his Baptist church there.  Michael and Beth and their two daughters are currently serving with the U.S. State Department. 

Sam and Rachel currently are still with the IMB and are assigned to Vietnam where Sam works with the Vietnam Baptist Bible Institute training pastors, leaders, and church planters. 

Prior experience:         Pastor of Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, Liberty, N.C., and Grace Baptist Mission, Durham, N.C., which became Homestead Heights Baptist Church and is now the largest church in Durham, called The Forum.  Served for six years in the U.S. Navy.

Published:       Authored "Training for Urban Evangelization" in An Urban World, edited by Larry Rose and Kirk Hadaway.  Authored a chapter entitled "The Church in the War‑torn Vietnam Society,"  25^th Anniversary Bulletin, Asia Baptist Graduate Theological Seminary. James details his years in Vietnam and his return to the country in Servant on the Edge of History: Risking All for the Gospel in War-Ravaged Vietnam, released by Hannibal Books, Oct. 2005, Foreword by Henry Blackaby, author of Experiencing God.

Previous Board assignments:  Appointed missionary in March l962 for general evangelism in Vietnam.  English‑language evangel­ist, Kowloon, Hong Kong, l962, while awaiting visas to Vietnam; language study, Dalat, Vietnam, l962‑64; director of theologi­cal education and pastor of one church and planter of five others, l964‑75; founder of Vietnam Baptist Theological Semi­nar­y, Saigon, and president, l967‑75; coordinator of Urban Evangelism, Saigon area, l973‑75; faculty mem­ber and trustee for Asia Baptist Graduate Theological Seminary, l965‑80, and chairman of committee to design the first doctor of ministry degree tailored for Asian pastors and scholars.  Was named “Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary Distinguished Alumnus” in June, 2002. 

After leaving Vietnam, he went to Guam to aid in refugee efforts with Southeast Asian refugees and then to the Foreign Mission Board in Richmond, Va., where he served as research assistant to the director of the Overseas Division.

Served as Field Representative (later called Associate to the Area Director)for East Asia, stationed in Taipei, Taiwan, l976‑80.  Resigned as a missionary on Oct. 31, 1980, to join the board's staff in Richmond, Va., as Director of the Mis­sion­ary Learning Department, Nov. 1, l980‑May 31, 1985, where he was responsible for the programs of orientation and training of missionaries, auxili­aries and volunteers and mis­sionary develop­ment programs.  He was respon­s­ible for designing the philoso­phy and concepts for development of the Mission­ary Learning Cen­ter at Rockville, Va., and worked with arch­itects to design it.  He became Area Director-elect, June 1, 1985‑Dec. 31, 1985, and then Area Director for East Asia Jan. 1, 1986‑June 30, 1992. He lived in Hong Kong and administered work of mis­sion­aries in East Asia. Returned to Richmond as Regional Vice Pre­si­dent for Europe, the Mid­dle East and North Africa, July 1, 1992‑Dec. 31, 1993, administering work of mis­sionaries in the region. Vice President for Creative Leadership Development, 1994 to 1996, and served as liaison to the six Southern Baptist Seminaries and chaired the IMB/SBC Seminaries Consortium.  Vice President for Leadership Development, Office of Overseas Operations, June 1996-February 2002.  He oversaw the Field Personnel Orientation Department, the Stateside Assignment Training Department, the Children’s Education and Resource Center, and the International Center for Excellence in Leadership. He served on the Overseas Leadership Team in the Office of Overseas Operations. Retired, February 25, 2002. Re-commissioned to the field, March, 2002, to Vietnam.

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Current IMB Assignment: March, 2002 assigned to Pacific Rim, and June 2003,

                        assigned to Northern Africa and the Middle East. January, 2008, transferred

                        back to the Pacific Rim and currently serving in Vietnam.