Senior Pastor James Wooten

James Wooten has served as the senior pastor of Westgate Baptist Church since 2018. Raised in a Christian home, he received Jesus Christ as his personal Savior as a child during family devotions. After surrendering to God’s call to full-time ministry, he attended Pensacola Theological Seminary where he earned a Master of Arts in Biblical Exposition and a Master of Divinity. He taught Bible classes for several years at both Pensacola Christian Academy and Pensacola Christian College before accepting the position of associate pastor at Faith Baptist Church in Pensacola.

While serving at Faith Baptist Church, God called James Wooten to Spartanburg, SC as senior pastor of Westgate Baptist Church and Westgate Christian School. As the son of a faithful Christian school teacher, and a gifted teacher himself, Pastor Wooten has a passion for Christian education and has proven well-equipped to lead both ministries.

His wife Claudene is an online college speech and drama teacher, drama writer, ladies’ speaker, and homemaker. She uses her gifts to minister to the church and school through drama. Pastor and Mrs. Wooten have two daughters who share their hearts for ministry.

Pastor Wooten’s vision is for Westgate Baptist Church to be a place where people will develop a vibrant, personal relationship with God through faith in Christ. He desires to see continued growth as people learn to walk with God and serve Him.