Teaching Pastor Jim West joined the staff of FBC Elfers in August of 2020 after retiring from a 50-year Broadcasting Career. His career began in radio while in High School. He attended Wheaton College, Trinity College, Palm Beach Atlantic (B.A. History) and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville (M. Div. 1976) all the while working in Television news. He was News Director of WTVT, Tampa in the 1980’s.
In more recent years, he co-founded the WORSHIP Network and helped acquire many of the television stations that have become ION TV. He also launched other TV networks: PraiseTV, FaithTV, MyFamilyTV, LegacyTV and TheWalkTV.
As Pastor of Teaching and Technology, he supervises all of the teaching ministries of the church, works with Senior Adults, and oversees the live video streaming of church services and school programs. In addition to television, he enjoys aviation, scuba, history, and writing-publishing his first book, Cedar Key: A Jack Shaw Adventure.
He and Sherry have four grown children between them and five grandchildren. It has been Jim’s passion since childhood to use the visual media for the spread of the Gospel message.
