James Mead

James Mead is the guitarist and co-founder of the Christian rock band, Kutless, and co-host of the popular podcast ‘Rock In a Hard Place,’ along with Jon Micah Sumrall. He is also one of the teaching pastors of All City Church in Portland, Oregon, and has a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies, graduating Summa Cum Laude from Grand Canyon University. James has been a public speaker for missionary organizations and traveled the country speaking and preaching at dozens of churches, universities, and conferences for the last few years. 

With a true pastor’s heart, James loves people well. As a speaker, James looks for opportunities to highlight the “Who” and “How,” when talking about “who God proclaims Himself to be,” and “How He proclaims Himself to be.” His passion for the Bible and gifting for teaching helps people have a deeper understanding and increased hunger for God’s Word. His transparency from the stage and his desire to connect with people one-on-one over a good cup of coffee exudes a deep relationship with Jesus. 

James has been transparent about his life experiences throughout his career, opening up about the heartache of growing up without his father, and speaking about enduring years of abuse as a child and the damaging impacts of that trauma years later. He is an advocate for mental health, speaking openly about his current experiences with therapy and encouraging people to seek out professional counseling. Furthermore, James focuses on encouraging people to know the true heart of God as a Heavenly Father in contrast to the endemic fatherlessness that plagues our society and the abuses of leadership within the Church that misrepresent a good and gracious God to His children. 

As part of the leadership team at A Jesus Mission, James is helping to lead development and new fundraising campaigns, pastor and disciple the global network of missionaries, connect with churches, and co-host the podcast and online web-series, ‘The Unseen Church.”