Pastor Jim has been a missionary for over 35 years. He was with the regional leadership team of CRU Southeast Asia, served as Assistant to the Vice President of CRU International for Global Church Movements, and was an Executive Director of the International Graduate School of Leadership (IGSL).

He is a CCF elder and leads BEYOND International Missions. He initiated the Multiplying Churches and Communities (MC2) training process in 2011. Church planting movements in more than 70 countries and thousands of house churches and multiplying small groups have been established through it. MC2 was recently launched at CCF as ""Go Viral"". His wife is Dr. Lui Whelchel and they have two grown and married children.