Candidate for
General Secretary of Publication
of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church
Rev. Michael Paul James, Sr.
Reverend
Michael Paul James, Sr.
Reverend Michael Paul James, Sr., was born on September 10, 1974, in Laurel, Mississippi, as the first child of the late Linda Marie James. A man of deep faith, lifelong learning, and dedicated service, Reverend James has committed his life to ministry and community leadership.
He is a proud graduate of R.H. Watkins High School (Class of 1993) and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Rust College in Holly Springs, Mississippi (1999). He went on to earn a Master of Christian Studies from Union University in Jackson, Tennessee (2017), and is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Ministry at South University in Savannah, Georgia.
Reverend James acknowledged his call to ministry at the early age of 10 while attending St. Paul United Methodist Church in Laurel. He began pastoral ministry in 1994 within the Mississippi Conference of the United Methodist Church. In 2004, he was admitted on trial in the Northeast Mississippi Region Annual Conference and ordained a Deacon by Bishop Thomas L. Hoyt, Jr. He was later ordained an Elder in 2006 and received Full Connection in 2009 under Bishop Thomas L. Brown, Sr.
His service in the Christian Methodist Episcopal (CME) Church has included appointments at Berries Chapel (Michigan City, MS), Wilkins Chapel (Waterford, MS), and, since 2008, Smith Chapel CME Church in Abbeville, Mississippi.
A respected leader, Reverend James holds several key positions in the district and annual conference. He currently serves as the Northeast Mississippi Young Adult Director. He has been elected as a General Conference delegate in 2014, 2018, and 2022, and was elected to the General Connectional Board of the CME Church in 2014.
In addition to ministry, Reverend James is active in fraternal and civic life. He is a financial member of the Eta Xi Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. in Starkville, Mississippi, where he served as Basileus from 2011 to 2016. He also serves as the 7th District Membership Intake Chairman and Mississippi State Chaplain for the fraternity.
Reverend James is the proud father of six children: DeMarius Scott, Precious Roger, Algernon James, Malcolm James, Rondericquez Beard, and Michael Paul James, Jr. His love for his family profoundly influences his ministry and leadership.