James C. Howell has been senior pastor of Myers Park United Methodist Church since 2003, and has served churches in the Charlotte area for 35 years. He is a graduate of the University of South Carolina and Duke Divinity School, and has a Ph.D. in Hebrew Bible from Duke. He has published 20 books and serves on numerous nonprofit boards in the community, speaks frequently in Charlotte and around the country, and is an adjunct professor of preaching at Duke Divinity School.