The Rev. James A. Douthwaite was born December 17, 1962 in Philadelphia, PA to William and Nancy Douthwaite, the youngest of three children. Pastor Douthwaite was baptized into the Holy Christian Church on April 7, 1963 at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Penndel, PA and was confirmed on April 11, 1977 at St. Mark's Lutheran Church, Ridley Park, PA.
Pastor Douthwaite attended public schools in Ridley Township, PA through High School, and upon his graduation in 1981 was accepted into Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA where he received the Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science. After graduation, Pastor Douthwaite worked as a Computer Consultant in the Philadelphia area for five years, working for the Reohr Group of Media, PA and later as a founding partner in InnovaSystems, Inc. of Mt. Laurel, NJ.
Pastor Douthwaite entered Concordia Theological Seminary (Ft. Wayne, IN) in June 1990, served as a vacancy summer Vicar at St. John Lutheran Church in AuGres, MI, as Vicar at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Manitowoc, WI, and graduated with the Master of Divinity in May 1994. Pastor Douthwaite then entered the Master of Sacred Theology program, serving as Graduate Assistant in the Department of Pastoral Ministry and Missions in 1995, with his major area of study being Pastoral Theology and Liturgics, with a minor in Systematic Theology. Pastor Douthwaite was awarded the Master of Sacred Theology degree in May, 2003.
On July 9, 1995 Pastor Douthwaite was ordained and installed as Pastor of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Yonkers, NY. After serving the saints at Holy Trinity for seven years, he accepted the call to St. Athanasius Lutheran Church in Vienna, VA, where he was installed on May 11, 2002.
In January 2009, Pastor Douthwaite was privileged to go to Kenya and assist in teaching a continuing education course for the pastors in Kenya at the Motongo Lutheran Theological College, and then to teach evangelists in training at the Atemo Bible Center. In 2009, Pastor Douthwaite began his studies in the Ph.D. program at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, studying Liturgical and Sacramental Theology, earning the Master of Philosophy degree in 2017 and becoming a Doctoral Candidate that same year.
Pastor Douthwaite has served the LCMS in various capacities on both a circuit, district, and synodical level, including Circuit Visitor from 2003-2009 and again from 2015-present, as delegate to the synodical convention, floor committee member, member of the Lutheran Haven Board of Directors, in a current member of the Board for Internation Mission, and has spoken and presented at various conferences. He has been published in Concordia Pulpit Resources, Portals of Prayer, Modern Reformation magazine, and Logia.
Pastor Douthwaite was married to his wife Laurie (nee Eckert) on May 27, 1995, and they have been blessed with three children, a son Robert William, a daughter Sarah Elizabeth, and a second daughter Joanna Christine. Laurie is a Registered Nurse, having received the Bachelor's Degree in Nursing from the University of Pennsylvania. She has been certified in a number of specialties, and has been recognized and awarded for nursing excellence from local, national, and international organizations.