Jim Wideman has the unique ability to help build the local church by strengthening the family, empowering leaders, and building great teams. He is a pastor, speaker, author, and ministry coach with more than 45 years of experience serving in all areas of the local church, including 17 years leading one of the largest children’s ministries in the United States. Jim has trained thousands of children’s ministry leaders in the US and around the world. He has worked with six different thriving churches in the span of almost five decades, and he has published over 15 books. Throughout his years of ministry investing in countless children, families, and leaders around the globe; Jim’s influence and intentionality has been continuously acknowledged. In the 1980s, The International Network of Children’s Ministers (INCM) awarded him their Ministry of Excellence Award. In the 1990s, Children’s Ministry magazine named him one of the Top 10 Pioneers of the Decade. In 2010, Children’s Ministry magazine once again honored him by naming him one of the Top 20 Influencers in Children’s Ministry.