Bro. James grew up in Tulsa, OK and was saved at Woodland Acres Baptist Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma at six years old. His parents and extended family were very involved in church and missions. As a teenager at Falls Creek, he surrendered to the ministry. During his junior year at OBU, he nailed down his calling to the pastorate. He and his wife, Deanna were in the same youth group and have been friends since seventh grade. They began dating while at OBU and were married on June 14, 1997. They have two sons, J. Shelton and Walker. 

James was ordained to the Gospel Ministry on May 7, 2000. He is also commissioned as a Civil Air Patrol Chaplain by the North American Mission Board.  He received his Bachelor of Arts in Religion from Oklahoma Baptist University, Master of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Doctor of Ministry from  B. H. Carroll Theological Institute.

God has led him to serve His kingdom as a minister of education, student minister, associate pastor and senior pastor in Texas and Oklahoma. He has been involved in multiple mission activities in the United States and internationally.

He serves as a member on the Board of Trustees for Oklahoma Baptist University. Where he also serves on the University Advancement Team and Alumni Board.

Tanya Bruton and her husband, Jeff, live in Meeker, Oklahoma. They have three daughters: McKenzie, Micah, and Madison, two sons: Alex and Austin, and two grandchildren: Henry and Emilia.  Some of Tanya's hobbies include scrapbooking, crafting, and baking.

Tanya has worked as the Printshop/media manager since 2013. Tanya enjoys helping our churches design and prints their bulletins and other flyers. She is also helpful in keeping websites up to date.

Jenna Bryant and her husband, Clint, moved to Tecumseh, Oklahoma, in 2023. She and Clint have been married for 21 wonderful years. Their oldest son, Jake, is a firefighter and recently got married to their lovely new daughter, Danielle, who’s currently attending OBU. Their youngest son, Tyler, just graduated and is gearing up to head to OBU this fall!  In her downtime, Jenna loves to serve in ministry with her husband, family game nights, watching OU softball, and playing with her energetic puppy, Dax.