Jim Pourteau

Hope and conquest, loss and renewal, Jim Pourteau’s life is a beacon for anyone looking to reclaim their own. Surviving an unstable childhood marked by eleven stepfathers and covert trauma, he found a lifeline in his high school sweetheart, Shannon, and a calling to the ministry. With their move from Houston to Connecticut, Shannon worked in real estate while Jim served as a youth and staff pastor. He went on to serve as executive pastor of Liberty Church in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, named one of the “Top 100 Fastest Growing Churches in America,” before their relationship was torn by infidelity. 

Suffering a crisis of faith, Jim surrendered his ordination and left to work for his father before Shannon discovered Marriage Helper, setting them on a path of reconciliation. Today, Jim has dedicated over 15,000 hours as a personal life coach and a business leadership trainer for clients such as the NCAA, Columbia University, and Chick-fil-A, and as a mentor for the John Maxwell leadership program. Jim and Shannon also lead marriage rescue workshops, where their high success rate is mirrored in their own wedlock, now surpassing thirty-four years. They live outside of Nashville with their two dogs, Jackson and Joey.