As a result of pondering the glory of God in the starry skies, and through hearing the Gospel in good upbringing, Jim trusted Jesus and the Cross when he was only five or six years of age.

He attended Christ for the Nations Institute in Dallas, Texas, and began teaching the Bible while still in his teens. He has been involved in teaching ministry since 1972, expounding the Scriptures globally in weekly study groups, seminars, classes, conferences, and study tours. 

Now working with LeaderSource in the development of curriculum, Jim Brenneman writes materials for biblical instruction and leader-building. Jim has never been to seminary, but he bears a burden to see sound theology and biblical truth communicated in an “Everyman” style. 

In his spare time, he enjoys exploring and experiencing the natural wonders of the world with his family of hundreds of friends who share this adventure of discovery.

During Jim's time at LeaderSource, he has noticed the following paradigm shifts in his life:

One of the most dramatic shifts for me was the importance of knowing our purpose – our purpose individually – but also the need to know the purpose of everything that we are doing.

• What is the purpose or reason for reaching out to this or that group?
• What is the purpose for doing this training?
• What is the purpose of this sentence in a document I am writing?
• What is the purpose of this gathering?
• What is the purpose of using this Scripture? … and so on.

When I first went to East Asia and when I first met Mary, I remember going for a walk with her in a park during lunchtime at a training. She kept asking me over and over: What is the purpose? What is the purpose of this week's training? What is the purpose of the session this afternoon? I learned that in all of our work, it is not about saying the right things, and it is not about "covering the material"; rather, it is about knowing the purpose and then accomplishing that particular purpose.

We can have all the right words and all the best designs but without the right purpose, and without pursuing that purpose, then all our best efforts are pointless. When I know my own purpose, I have constant peace about how God is using me. I have a simple mission: Help people to come to know Jesus and help people to come to love God’s Word. Knowing Jesus and knowing His Word is such a rich and joyous privilege. It is a veritable blast! Knowing Jesus is a blast! As the disciples of Jesus first said it: “Come and See!”