Pastor Wilmoth Joseph Manasseh James, a native of Antigua and Barbuda, was born in the mid-20th century to Alfred and Tyzena James of Liberta (Tyrells) — a devoted Seventh-day Adventist couple who raised twelve children during their 54 years of marriage. He received his early education at Liberta Primary School and later attended All Saints Secondary School.
As a youth, Pastor James was passionate about sports, especially cricket, soccer and volleyball. With determination and humor, he often tried to convince his peers that he possessed the talents of great sportsmen such as Australian Jeff Thomson as a fast bowler, Indian Venkataraghavan as a batsman, and Englishman Gordon Banks as a goalkeeper.
On September 13, 1979, Pastor James answered God’s call to the ministry. He attended the Caribbean Union College (now the University of the Southern Caribbean) in Trinidad, where he trained as a minister. He graduated in 1983 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Systematic Theology and, began his pastoral ministry with the North Caribbean Conference of Seventh-day Adventists in Antigua in July of the same year.
Pastor James has faithfully dedicated more than forty-one years to the ministry, of the Gospel and has served Christ’s mission with unwavering commitment. His ministry has impacted the lives of church members and communities on St. Kitts, Antigua and Barbuda, Montserrat, St. Thomas, and St. Croix, in the U.S. Virgin Islands. His pastoral leadership also extended to church planting, when he establishes the Sweet Redemptive Seventh-day Adventist Church in Tortola, British Virgin Islands (1997), and the Redemption Seventh-day Adventist Church in Nassau, Bahamas (2008).
During his nineteen years in church administration, he oversaw several departments of the North Caribbean Conference, including Youth, and Children’s Ministries, Music Ministry, College Campus Ministry, Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), Human Resources, and the Secretariat as Executive Secretary. Pastor James was actively involved in the community, especially in the areas of youth development, health care and substance abuse prevention.
He continued his academic journey in 2004 at Andrews College, in Berrien Springs, Michigan, where he earned a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration and Supervision. That same year, he became a Certified Family Life Educator from Andrews College.
in 1987, Pastor James married Linda Geraldine Kendall of St. Thomas, a dedicated Adventist educator and science teacher who worked faithfully for many years at the St. Croix Educational Complex in the U.S. Virgin Islands. They have been married for thirty-eight years and are the proud parents of three adult children.
At the recently concluded 15th Quadrennial Meeting of the North Caribbean Conference of Seventh-day Adventists (August 20–23, 2025), Pastor Wilmoth J. M. James was elected as the seventh President of the North Caribbean Conference since its inception in August 1975.
Pastor James continues to find joy in Christian service and is passionately committed to the community, especially to the welfare of the youth, by protecting them from the dangers of illicit drugs, alcohol abuse, and the loss of untapped potential.
He lives and serves by the enduring biblical motto that guides his ministry:
“…for we know that all things work together for good to those who love the Lord.” (Romans 8:28)
