Bishop Odane James was born on September 23, 1982 at the Cornwall Regional Hospital in Montego Bay, Jamaica. He was the first son of Bishop Dafton and Lady Pauline James. His miraculous birth was truly an answer to prayer; therefore, his mother called him the Son of Consolation. Odane grew up in Savanna-La-Mar, Westmoreland, Jamaica, W.I., where he received his early education through the school system. A fond memory of Odane is garnered from his reciting Palms 100, and singing before the congregation of Holiness Born Again Church at the age of two. He is also remembered for his elaborate worship style and remarkable sincerity that set him apart from the other young children at his church.
At the age of nine, Odane was baptized in the name of Jesus and filled with the precious gift of the Holy Ghost. He immediately began to utilize his gifts and talents through the ministry of music. He became the lead keyboardist, a proficient drummer, and a well-loved singer at First United Church of Jesus Christ in North Miami, Florida, under the pastorate of Bishop Charles C. Mullings.
In 1995, the call of God came to Odane’s Father, to pastor a church in Miami, Florida. This transition changed Odane’s life forever and became the springboard for the development of his ministry. Odane labored alongside his father, building up the ministry in Miami, but little did he know that God was building a ministry in him.
Odane preached his first sermon at the age of 13 and began captivating audiences with his dynamic and charismatic personality through the awesome anointing that God has placed on his life. He continued in the ministry of the word and when the church recognized the call of God on his life he was designated a Minister. This led to his licensing as a Minister at 19 years old within the Bethel United Church Organization. At the age of 25 he was ordained an Elder in the Lord’s church, the youngest person at that time to hold this office in his church organization.
In 2012, God called Elder James to the office of a Pastor, and with the support, guidance, and leadership of his father, Elder James launched The Transformation Center in Tampa, Florida. He was later appointed an Overseer of the African territories and finally consecrated a Bishop in the Lord's Church over the State of Florida & the Foreign Fields. Today, Bishop Odane James serves as the Vice Presiding Bishop of the United Born Again Church & the International Apostolic Movement. He is an international preacher, ministering all over the world throughout the Caribbean, Europe, Canada, Africa and all over the United States of America, declaring the everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ.
Bishop James is a graduate of Johnson & Wales University in North Miami, FL. He holds an Associate’s degree in Business Administration and a Bachelor’s degree in Management, both graduating magna cum laude. Bishop James is also a graduate of Life Christian University in Lutz, FL. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Theology and a Master’s Degree in Theology both graduating magna cum laude. Bishop James has also been conferred an Honorary Doctoral degree in Divinity from St. Thomas Christian University in Jacksonville, FL & an earned Doctor of Ministry degree from Emmanuel Christian University in Poughkeepsie, NY.
Bishop Odane James is the husband of one wife, Lady Tiffany James, a wonderful woman of virtue whom God has strategically positioned in his life. She complements his ministry and is an integral part of the mandate God has placed on their lives. Bishop James is also a father of 5 beautiful children, one of whom has gone home to be with the Lord. Her departure was a great turning point in the life and ministry of the James' family and serves as a testament that God can take broken pieces of a shattered life and use it for His glory.
Bishop James lives a committed life of continual, effectual, fervent prayer, fasting, and dedication to the ministry to which God has called him. He counts himself a prisoner for Christ and an ambassador of the unadulterated, invincible, and infallible gospel of the Lord Jesus. His life’s passion and true purpose is expressed in Paul’s writings to the Corinthians (1Cor. 9: 16), “For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!”