Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Jim Burkett received Christ while watching a Billy Graham Crusade on television. In1964 he answered “The Call” to ministry while a student in high school where he began to preach in Youth for Christ clubs in area junior high and high schools. While attending Oklahoma Baptist University, he was involved in numerous revival crusades throughout Oklahoma and Midwestern United States. After graduation from the university in 1969 with a B.A. in religion, he studied at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary where he received his Master of Divinity degree in 1973. He received his Doctorate of Ministry degree from Luther Rice Seminary in 1979.

The pastor of five churches since 1974 he has pastored only in university communities ministering and developing relevant evangelism and discipleship programs to both collegiates and college faculty. In 1985 Dr. Burkett founded and was the first President of Shepherds’ Fellowship International which is a ministry to pastors, ministers, and their spouses. In 1999 he was a co-founder of Cross Over Athens (www.crossoverathens.org) which is a coalition of regional churches and ministries seeking community transformation through the love and power of Christ. Dr. Burkett is also the president of Foundation Ministries International which assists churches and sponsors “Apologetics on Fire” conferences throughout the United States.

Dr. Burkett has preached and taught in the United States as well as in Great Britain, Africa, Taiwan, and Malaysia. His topics of focus in preaching and teaching are in the area of unity, covenant, faith, relationships, and apologetics. He was also an adjunct instructor in theology at Truett-McConnell College and has written two curriculums on apologetics. He also teaches for the Beacon University Institute of Ministry. For several years Dr. Burkett was the Senior Pastor of the Christ Life Community Church, Athens, GA, which was noted for the large social ministry which included feeding 100 plus families weekly and a large youth ministry to teens living in the Athens Housing Projects. He is currently teaching Defending Your Faith Conferences across the U.S. as well as serving as the Senior Pastor of Southwood Baptist Church.