James and René Fillingame

James and René received God’s call to vocational ministry while students at the University of North Texas. They married during the summer of 1983. After graduating from college, their first child was born and they joined the staff of Family Life Ministry, a division of CRU. They enjoyed 4 years with Family Life helping to strengthen marriages through conferences and small group studies. To receive additional education and training, they moved to Arizona with their 3 children where James received a Master of Divinity degree from Phoenix Seminary. After graduation, God directed James to become the senior pastor of Stone Creek Church. They served there for 13 years. Since leaving in 2008, James has consulted/coached faith-based nonprofits, served with Standing Stone Ministry as a retreat shepherd with his wife, and together, he and René began “tent-making” as flight attendants with Southwest Airlines.

Both James and René are passionate about coming alongside ministry couples. They know the highs and lows of ministry life being in church and parachurch organizations for the past 38 years. They also understand the expectations that are placed on the ministry couple and they have experienced firsthand the pressures on a couple raising a family while serving the body of Christ.
James has been married to René for over 40 years and God has blessed them with two sons and two daughters, all of which are married. They have 13 grandchildren and live in the mountains of Payson, Arizona where they enjoy hiking, cooking together, and playing with their grandkids.