Jim and his late wife, Jean, came to Christ out of devout Catholicism in their mid-twenties through a home Bible study.
In 1981, Jim graduated from the Discipleship Intern Training Program (DITP), a nine-month intensive course of studies for serious Christians preparing for ministry. In 1983, Hillview Bible Chapel in Cupertino, California, commended Jim and Jean to full-time Christian ministry which led them to Ireland to assist two Irish churches. They returned to California in 1986 when Jim was asked to join the faculty of the DITP.
In 1999 the McCarthys helped start a new assembly, Grace Bible Chapel, in San Jose, where Jim served as an elder for 15 years. Grace Bible Chapel joined in commending him to a full-time writing and teaching ministry. He continues to teach in the DITP, now hosted by Freeway Bible Chapel in Lubbock, Texas, codirects the Galilee Program, a summer discipleship program for young adults ages 20-35 in Louisiana, and is a frequent speaker at Bible conferences in the U.S. and abroad. Jim is the author of more than a dozen books and courses on the Christian faith including Steps to Bible Knowledge, Disciplines of the Christian Life, and The Gospel According to Rome. He is currently working on an adult curriculum that when completed will include studies on each of the books of the Bible.
