Meeting Saturday, March 7, 2026, at Faith Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Bartlett for its scheduled spring meeting, Cornerstone Presbytery endorsed the Rev. James Morris “Jimmy” Latimer for moderator of the 195th General Assembly of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church.

The Rev. Dr. James Morris Latimer is a longtime minister and leader in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church whose family roots in the denomination trace back to Beech Church north of Nashville, Tennessee, predating the church’s founding in 1810. A graduate of Bethel College in McKenzie, Tennessee, and Memphis Theological Seminary, he was ordained by Obion Presbytery on September 13, 1962. Latimer served for 40 years as pastor of Central Church in Memphis, a congregation that grew to approximately 9,000 members during his tenure.

In addition to his pastoral ministry, Latimer served for 16 years as a chaplain with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, including ministry at Ground Zero following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. He is co-founder of the Church Health Center in Memphis and founder and chairman of the board of Kirby Pines, the city’s largest retirement community. Latimer also served three years as president of Crichton College and has taught internationally in St. Petersburg, Russia; Stockholm, Sweden; and at the Evangelical Seminary of Taiwan.

Within the denomination, he served nine years on the Board of Trustees of Bethel University and was part of the organizing committee that created Cornerstone Presbytery, later serving as its first moderator. He currently serves as pastor of Redeemer Evangelical Church in Memphis which is seeking admission to Cornerstone Presbytery and holds provisional status.