James Spencer

For more than a decade, James served in academic leadership within biblical higher education. He currently serves as President of the D. L. Moody Center, an independent non-profit organization in Northfield, MA, dedicated to honoring the spiritual legacy of D.L. Moody. James serves on faculty at Right On Mission and as a consultant for Christian colleges and seminaries in the areas of leadership development, online programming, and enrollment management. He also teaches as an adjunct instructor at the collegiate and graduate level in the areas of biblical studies, interpretation, and Christian thought. James graduated with his B.S in Kinesiology from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2000 before earning his Master of Divinity from Moody Theological Seminary (2004), his M. A. in Biblical Exegesis from Wheaton College Graduate School (2005), and his PhD in Theological Studies-Old Testament from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (2012). He later attended the Harvard Institute of Education Management and completed a year of executive coaching. James researches and writes in the areas of theology and Old Testament Studies. Useful to God: Eight Lessons from the Life of D. L. Moody was published in 2021. He also published Thinking Christian: Essays on Testimony, Accountability, and the Christian Mind in 2020 and co-authored Trajectories: A Gospel-Centered Introduction to Old Testament Theology in 2018. James also co-authored "Isaiah" with Michael Rydelnik in the Moody Bible Commentary and contributed to Marriage: It's Foundation, Theology, and Mission in a Changing World, and The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy.In addition to writing on theology and Old Testament studies, James has also published and presented in the areas of online curriculum design, higher education policy, organizational strategies for higher education recruitment, and Christian leadership. James and his family live in the Chicagoland area. He is available to speak in the areas of Christian leadership, Christian theology and contemporary issues, Christian identity in the digital age, biblical higher education and college choice, and Old Testament theology. .

D.L. Moody, the Father

Dwight Moody’s deepest desire for his son was that he be a man of the scriptures.

Longing for home: D.L. Moody on Getting to Where We Belong

Home was part of a flourishing life and a proper expectation of heaven.

The Importance of Generous Speech

The more rooted I become in the Scriptures and the community of faith, the more peace I feel despite such “slandering tongues.”

Transforming Our Questions

If questions really are important framers and re-framers of reality, Christians must strive to ask theological questions.

A Prayer to Witness Faithfully

We reflect God’s glory by rightly ordering our own passions and concerns.

Replacing Cancel Culture with Disciplines that Demonstrate a Redeemed Life

When we don’t address the small things in person as we go, we risk allowing bigger problems in the future.

Where We’re Headed: The Future of the Church in the United States, Part 4

With all that we are doing, how much of it are we doing without God?

Where We’re Headed: The Future of the Church in the United States, Part 3

Discipleship helps us to understand why following God is crucial for those in the body of Christ.

Where We’re Headed: The Future of the Church in the United States, Part 2

History reminds us that we are not the first to face challenges, to be less than faithful in some ways, and to stand strong for Christ in others. 

Where We’re Headed: The Future of the Church in the United States, Part 1

A unifying dialogue is one in which participants don’t represent to “know” something when in fact, it is not possible or too soon to “know.”

Align in Purpose. Amplify Your Voice. Advance the Kingdom.

The Kingdom Winds Collective— Join a movement to advance the Kingdom!

Learn More | Join