Pastor James Williams meets with the Campolo scholars for their weekly fellowship meeting.

Biography

James is honored to serve as Pastor at the historic First Baptist Church of Philadelphia. Having started with the congregation in January 2020, James feels divinely called to continue the churches 321+ year ministry to the City of Brotherly Love, with an emphasis on community outreach and engagement. Prior to accepting his call at FBC-Philadelphia, James attended Palmer Theological Seminary where he earned his Master of Divinity degree. While at Palmer, James served as a Presidential Scholar, a Sider Scholar, a Campolo Scholar, and as a Church Mutual Religion Scholar. Apart from his pastoral work, James serves in a variety of capacities for several organizations including International Ministries, POWER, AWAB, Rittenhouse Clergy Association, etc. James is very passionate about his work with the societally marginalized—particularly Philadelphia’s homeless population and the LGBT+ community. James also actively works on environmental sustainability projects, partnering with The Green Church and others to promote responsible stewardship of God’s creation. Most recently, James’ work has shifted to focus on the need for racial justice in this country (#blacklivesmatter). In his personal life, James loves drumming and spending time with his family and his (many) cats.