As with many people who find themselves working in administrative roles in a conference, James G. Lee’s ministry began in the field as a pastor. However, he had no intention of becoming a pastor.
“You know what, to be honest with you, it was not something I wanted to do,” Lee recalled. “In fact, it was the furthest thing I wanted to do.”
Lee had specific plans for his career: to be a Bible teacher. Lee studied at Oakwood University (then Oakwood College) and remembers taking various theology classes his freshman year.
“My sophomore year, I would have conversations with the Lord about teaching Bible,” Lee said, “and it bothered me that He kept saying, ‘I need you to be a minister.’ And I was like, ‘No, let me be a Bible teacher.’ So I took secondary education with history as my minor. Then something happened.”
Born and raised in Compton, Lee was back in Southern California during the summer of 1975 before his senior year at Oakwood, working with Pastor George Rainey at University church. There, he worked with several other students and recent graduates from Oakwood, and he would still share with his peers about his aspirations to be a teacher. Around this time, University church held an evangelistic series. Lee remembers seeing a man coming to the meetings, and on a Wednesday night, Elder Rainey made an appeal. Lee sat and talked with the man, who soon started crying. Not sure what to do at first, Lee felt the Holy Spirit telling him to ask the man if he wanted to accept Christ. Lee did, and the man said yes. “I think from that moment, I felt the impulse of the Lord saying, ‘This is what you need to do.’”
Lee met and started dating his wife, Marsha, at Oakwood his senior year. After graduating from Oakwood in 1976, his ministry began in the Southern California Conference (SCC) at Valley Crossroads church (then Pacoima church), where he served as associate pastor for about eight months. From there, he served as Altadena church associate pastor from 1977-1979. He then attended seminary at Andrews University. He returned to SCC to continue his ministry. He was pastor of Compton Community (then El Segundo church) from 1981- 1987; senior pastor of Normandie church from 1987-1997; and senior pastor at Philadelphian church before becoming the SCC African-American Region director (now Greater Los Angeles Region). Lee served as region director until 2003 when he was voted as the SCC vice president (later changed to executive vice president), a position he held until his retirement in 2024.
Throughout his ministry, Lee’s fondness for public evangelism was ever present. At each church, he recalls conducting prophecy seminars on Revelation and Daniel. Through the years, he had to get creative. At Normandie Avenue and Philadelphian churches, for example, he divided his church into the 12 tribes—like the tribes of Israel—and organized each tribe with leaders to rally their groups to go out knocking on doors to reach people in preparation for these evangelistic meetings, efforts that resulted in total member involvement.
His heart for evangelism was further developed during his time serving as executive vice president, particularly during covid. In the fall of 2020, SCC held its first-ever conference-wide digital event: a week of spiritual encouragement. Lee recalled a similar online revival event held by another conference, and together with the executive leadership, he planned the event to bring encouragement and community to SCC during an especially trying time. The event was streamed live on YouTube and Facebook in 2020, 2021, 2023, and 2024—each of the four events in slightly different formats.
“We had a really good time,” Lee said. “Then it started to grow and develop into different approaches and styles. We had different people to come and share. I really enjoyed it.”
Lee’s transition from pastor to administrator was smooth overall. Even away from the local church, he still experienced community, fellowship, and camaraderie. “It was a wonderful time,” Lee recalled. “We had trainings for elders, religious liberty, Sabbath School, etc. I talked with pastors and visited with churches. I got to meet all kinds of people.”
In his time ministering in SCC, he’s seen it become more diverse, both in the conference office and in the field, naming several churches whose demographics have changed since he started pastoring in the 1970s. “My president was Hispanic, my treasurer was Hispanic, my executive secretary was White,” Lee said. “It’s a different world and culture we live in. I think it’s encouraging and inspiring.”
“I did not know that I was going to be the vice president for 20 or so years,” Lee recalled. “I thought maybe one of those years something would happen, but God put me there. God told me yes, and then God told me no. I’m just grateful to Him to be able to do what I was doing for so long.” However, Lee knew that “once you get to a certain point, it’s certainly time.”
“I am just overjoyed about retirement,” Lee continued. “I just looked forward to it. Constituency was Sunday. That Monday, I didn’t do anything. That Wednesday, Marsha and I hopped on a plane and flew to Huntsville, Alabama, and stayed for about three weeks.” During that time, he got to visit with his mom who was in her final stages of life. “She was OK; she was smiling and laughing,” he recalled. “We went to Tennessee and Mississippi, and when we got back, her eyes were closed, she could hardly open them, and then she passed. She was 96, and I know she lived a good life.”
Lee and Marsha have no intentions of leaving California; it’s home. Lee, who often shared the motto “be blessed, not stressed” with colleagues at the conference office, is now enjoying a relaxed lifestyle since retiring last year after more than 40 years of ministry. He enjoys teaching Sabbath School at Compton Community church on Friday nights twice a quarter, as well as the first Sabbath of the month at Norwalk church, Marsha’s home church.
Looking back, he is proud of what he considers to be a very simple life.
“It’s not very eventful,” he said. “What happened to me in terms of ministry? It wasn’t the thing where, you know, the lights turned on and a miracle happened. I’m grateful to God for every single thing that He’s done for me. I’m thankful for having a good wife who’s been supportive. I’m grateful to God to have a good family and a good ministry.”
