Nigel James

I'm a 20 year-old kid trapped in a 47 year-old man's body!

Founding Director of the IGNITE discipleship initiative along with Gary Smith, Nigel James lives in Cardiff, Wales with his wife Gill and his daughter Bethan. Two adult children, Rachel and James live away from home.
A Christian since his teenage years, Nigel has a degree in Sociology, a post-graduate qualification in practical theology, and has spent most of his adult life in youth ministry, evangelism and discipleship. IGNITE is part of the UK based ministry called Big Ideas (not to be confused with Big Idea productions in the USA) which Nigel and Gary founded in 1995 after both working as part of the national leadership team for a Christian youth organisation.
Ignite challenges young people to discover their purpose in life, to be a disciple of Jesus and to transform their generation, and since 2000, well over 5,000 teenagers have signed the IGNITE discipleship declaration which commits them to a radical life of discipleship. Much of what Nigel does is as a mentor to an emerging generation of leaders and he has been a regular columnist for a variety of Christian publications and has written a variety of books published by Authentic Media:

Ignite:God’s Purpose for this Generation.
Seven Myths of Youth Ministry: How to Re-ignite your Passion. (with Gary Smith)
Seven Ways to Ignite an Outrageous Prayer Life.
(with Carl Brettle)
Seven Ways to Ignite your Life- lessons from 1 Samuel.

As well as heading up the growing team at IGNITE with Gary, Nigel finds time to travel extensively as a speaker and pastor in America, particularly in his role as road pastor for Third Day. In 2002-3, Nigel travelled with Third Day, Michael W. Smith and Max Lucado on the highly acclaimed ‘Come Together and Worship’ tour. Nigel has also travelled to Haiti visiting the child sponsorship work of Compassion, an organisation that IGNITE partners with. As well as regularly speaking at colleges in the USA, Nigel often visits India where he opened a number of Ignite India Churches and is developing a school. In January of 2008 Nigel accompanied Third Day on a tour to minister to US troops in Kuwait and iraq.
A pastor at the City Temple Elim Pentecostal church in Cardiff, Nigel would say that he ‘encourages people to follow Jesus.’ Nigel serves on the Evangelical Alliance council for both Wales and the UK.

For further information visit the IGNITE web site at www.igniteme.org