Pastor James Beckley grew up in Stuart, Florida. He came to know Jesus Christ as a college student at the University of Central Florida. James earned two master's degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. He is a former school teacher and before that, he was an auto mechanic. James worked on his Ph.D. at Florida State University in Tallahassee and taught there. He also taught at the Baptist College of Florida and at Barry University. James has been married to Lari for over 25 years. Lari is the daughter of a pastor. The Beckleys have four children. James loves teaching and is proficient at telling corny jokes.