Rev. James was ordained an elder in the Virginia Conference in 2014. He has served in multiple ministry settings in the Virginia Conference, including youth ministry, worship leadership, campus ministry, and with the Conference Ethics Training on Technology and Social Media. Rev. James served for four years on staff at the Lewis Center for Church Leadership and five years as an associate pastor at Centreville UMC, and nine years as the Lead Pastor of to Washington Street UMC in Alexandria, VA.In 2024, Rev. James launched Ekklesia Financial Services, which provides a variety of financial services to churches (i.e., payroll, bookkeeping, financial reviews, etc.). He is appointed to the company as an extension ministry, while still offering pulpit supply in Northern Virginia, and serving in a variety of ways around the Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church.