Rev. Dr. James Klotz has been Pastor of First Presbyterian Church since September 2023. James, a cradle Presbyterian, was born and raised in Georgia, where he pursued a 15-year career in the airline industry before answering the call to ministry. He earned his Master of Divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary in 2015, then returned to Princeton to pursue a doctorate in biblical studies, focusing on the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. James was ordained as a Minister of the Word and Sacrament by the Presbytery of New Brunswick (now Coastlands) in 2018, and he co-chaired the presbytery’s Commission on Preparation for Ministry, working with seminary students pursuing ordination. While James spent most of his life on the east coast, he has an important New Mexico family connection. His aunt, Dr. Beth Klotz, served for decades as a school psychologist for the BIA at schools in the southeastern part of the Navajo Nation, and in his visits and conversations with her came to love the Land of Enchantment. James’s dissertation, "Let the Desert Bloom: a Close Reading of Isaiah 35 and a History of Consequences in the Development of the Colorado River Basin," explores these passions for biblical poetry and the history of the Southwest, and it was successfully defended in June 2023. James is an amateur church musician, having directed several handbell choirs in the past, and he is a member of the Hymn Society, Handbell Musicians of America, and the Presbyterian Association of Musicians, whose annual Montreat Worship & Music Conferences he has been attending with his dad since 2009. James is an avid hiker, history nerd, and Star Trek fan. He and his cat Dodi (Hebrew for “My Beloved”) live in Farmington.