James Wafford III, a 2000 CAC graduate, is a worship pastor at Mosaic Church of Central Arkansas. He develops and leads other worship ministries across the state and nation. He chose to be a worship pastor originally from his background in music from his parents and family.
“At the age of 12, I was the assistant minister of music at my home church," James said. "In my high school and college years, I was one of the musicians for the North Little Rock Boys and Girls Club Choir,and music director for a variety of gospel music artists.”
James’ exposure to a variety of different genres helped him discover his passion for songwriting. Along with his background in choir he also has experience with theater work. A few of his past performances include, Tender Land, The Messiah, and The Music Man. He also had the honor of working as a vocalist with the founder of Praeclara. Praeclara is a performing arts organization that is dedicated to unique arts programming to Arkansas audiences and combines many artistic genres.
James’ original plan wasn’t to be a music minister, but he said God had other plans.
“God was really showing me there was more to who I am," James said. "All of my experience and exposure to a variety of musical expressions prepared me for my journey.”
He also says that God has shown him glimpses of his calling from his past experiences. Because of God’s influence in his life, he tries to lead with two goals in mind.
“(1) love people from all backgrounds, cultures, and expressions that reflect God’s kingdom and (2) create diverse musical experiences for God’s people and those that are yet to know Him,” James said.
James has also led a number of worship teams from different ethnic groups and churches of different denominations. Those teams can range everywhere from church worship leaders to national conference worship teams. He always makes sure to keep God in mind, but he also uses these experiences to grow in his own personal life.
“While the goal is to equip God’s people to lead authentic worship experiences, I also take away so many things that contribute to my own growth,” James said. “I never want to be labeled a worship pastor that only performs one certain type of music, but rather, one that embraces the multifaceted beauty of God’s creation through the arts.”
