Jim Martin is an encourager to the core and an extraordinary mentor. In this episode we get a peak at what makes Jim the kind of person you just want to be with. He starts by sharing the important role three mentors played in his life as he moved from being a spiritually disconnected business student to becoming a minister. Jim understands the symbiotic nature of intergenerational connections between older and younger ministers. It is a relationship in which older ministers can offer hope and perspective while younger ones bring fresh energy and insights. Listen in as Jim talks about maintaining pure intentions, keeping a focus on mission, and remembering the lasting impact paying attention can have in the life of a church leader.

Jim served as Vice-President of Harding School of Theology in Memphis, Tennessee from January 2014 – August 2024. Before that, he served as a preaching minister for 36 years, including the Crestview Church of Christ in Waco, Texas from 1993 – 2013. He has also served churches in Missouri and Alabama. He was reared in Dallas and received his M. Div from Abilene Christian University and the D. Min from Harding School of Theology in Memphis, Tennessee. Jim has led a number of mentoring groups for church leaders. Jim writes a newsletter, “Jim Martin’s Encouragement Note.” Jim is a certified coach (ACC) and is invested in coaching ministers and other church leaders. Jim is husband to Charlotte, father to Christine and Jamie, father-in-law to Calvin, and grandfather to Brody, Lincoln, Sully and Elsie.