Zac James Joins SCBO as Worship Consultant

Zac James, SCBO worship consultant

By Stephanie Heading, managing editor

On December 1, Zac James, associate pastor of worship, FBC Lancaster, assumes the part-time role of Worship Consultant for SCBO.

James comes to the convention with the experience and education to be a valuable resource to worship leaders across Ohio. Since 2000, James has served in over 400 churches in traveling and vocational ministry across 45 states, Canada, and South Africa.

He is a 2012 graduate of Cedarville University with a Bachelor of Arts in Music. He is the author of eight online worship courses. He graduated from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2022 with a Master of Divinity with Advanced Standing and from Cedarville University in 2023 with a Master of Business Administration.

For the past several years, Zac led multi-church worship teams for SCBO conferences - Amplify and Loving and Leading the Local Church. He loves coaching worship leaders and teams and is passionate about helping people develop in worship ministry. He is married to Kaitie, his wife of ten years. They have two children, Kaiden, age 4, and Elaina, age 2.

I am thrilled about Zac James joining the SCBO team!

“I am thrilled about Zac James joining the SCBO team,” said Dr. Jeremy Westbrook, SCBO executive director-treasurer. “While he will remain in his full-time role at FBC Lancaster, he will join us in a part-time capacity as our Worship Consultant. Not only will he be our connection point to Worship 4:24, but Zac will also serve our churches through helping both to develop and network worship leaders from around the Buckeye State.”

As Worship Consultant, James will facilitate Worship 4:24, the annual worship conference sponsored by SCBO in conjunction with Cedarville University. Leading Worship 4:24 with Dr. Roger O’Neel, Cedarville University professor of worship, holds special meaning for him.

It had a huge impact on me and my calling

“I’ve been involved with this conference since I attended the original version hosted by Art Fulks & Brad Pilkington as a 13 year old in 2002,” he said. “It had a huge impact on me and my calling. Then I attended 4:24 as a student at Cedarville while assisting Dr. O’Neel with conference logistics. For the past several years, I’ve been serving as a sponsor, vendor, and breakout speaker. To step into a director role with one of my mentors…it’s really a full-circle moment.”

The next Worship 4:24 is January 26-27, 2024, at Cedarville University. “I believe this is one of the best worship conferences in the country, headlined by an incredible artist in Shane and Shane. You won’t want to miss it,” said James. 

The conference is open to churches across Ohio, and he hopes churches of all sizes will take advantage of the opportunity to worship and receive training in break-out sessions. “This is an event for whoever is in charge of the music in your church, no matter the size.”

In addition to Worship 4:24, he is planning to create a database of worship leaders across the SCBO and identify churches in need. “We need to have a clear picture about the state of worship in Ohio.”

He also plans to develop a list of guest leaders who could fill the role when churches are in need. “There is a significant need for worship leaders in Ohio,” he said. “Over time we are going to see what we can do to make it easier for churches to find a worship leader.”

For more information about Worship 4:24, visit https://www.scbo.org/event/worship-424.