Jim Ailor
Jim Ailor earned a Bachelor of Music from Samford University, a Master of Church Music from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Musical Arts from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. His dissertation, "A Korean Requiem" (in honor of those who have died while in separation from family during the division of the Korean peninsula), was performed in Seoul, Korea on the 50th anniversary of the Korean War. Jim joined the staff of First Baptist Sweetwater, FL in January 2005 as minister of music and worship. Before coming to Sweetwater, he and his wife Diane served in South Korea for 21 years representing Southern Baptists at the Korea Baptist Church Development Board in Seoul. He has published numerous choral works with various publishers, including Shawnee Press, and has been commissioned to write numerous works. Jim has taught as an adjunct instructor at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, Korean Baptist Theological Seminary and Sudo Baptist Theological Seminary and has been a guest speaker for the SBC Music Conference. Also, Jim serves as a music consultant for Global Resource Services (GRS), an NGO that works largely in North Korea.