James Summerlin

James has been a part of a ministry family for all of his life, growing up in a pastor’s home and living in Alabama and Kentucky before he received the call to ministry when he was 16.

He met his wife, Rachel, while attending Union University, where he received his bachelor’s degree in journalism. After James and Rachel married, they started life together in New Orleans, where James earned his Master's of Divinity degree at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. While in New Orleans, James spent two and a half years working for the New Orleans Times-Picayune. He then became the sports editor at the Hammond (La.) Daily Star. While working for the newspaper, he served as the student pastor for First Baptist Church of Hammond.

Beginning in the summer of 2018, James worked as the Pastor of Students at First Baptist Church, Dade City, Florida. In 2023, he and his family accepted the call to serve Charleston Baptist Church as pastor.

James enjoys cheering on his favorite teams: the Alabama Crimson Tide, the New Orleans Saints and the Nashville Predators. 

He is currently pursuing his doctorate in Applied Theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

He and Rachel have two children, Roman and Hadley.