Pastor Jim (“Pops”) Mayher has been in full-time ministry since 2011, when he joined the Ministry Staff at Gateway Church. Jim and his family have been at Gateway since 2002, where he also served as first a Deacon and then a Lead Deacon for a total of nine years.

From 2017 until 2023, Jim was an Associate Pastor in the Pastoral Care Department, walking with individuals and families through health and bereavement needs, while also providing oversight for the Pastor-On-Call Ministry. Jim also did the majority of the funeral planning at the main campus in Southlake, TX.  

Prior to serving in Care, Jim worked for six years as the Ministry Coordinator in the Guest Experience department at the main campus as well as Gateway’s first extension campus. In this position, Jim was responsible for communication and scheduling with and recruiting volunteers for weekend services, as well as holiday services, large special events and conferences. Jim handled all facets of recruiting, assimilation, training, management and pastoring of the 1,300+ GXP volunteers at the main campus; as well as assisting and mentoring other campuses as they came into existence and grew.

Jim and Marlaine celebrated forty-one years of marriage this fall; have one son, an amazing daughter-in-law and five beautiful grandchildren. Known for his affability and lighthearted personality, Jim has been gifted with being able to bring a smile to peoples’ faces, even in their darkest hours.

Jim holds a BA from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst; and attended seminary, earning a Graduate Certificate in Christian Ministries from the Kings University, in Southlake, TX in 2015.