[3] On 4 January 1986 James migrated to Western Australia, initially to serve at Port Hedland as student chaplain for the Mission to Seafarers.

After two years, he was sponsored by the Anglican Diocese of North West Australia and ordained by Archbishop Peter Carnley in June 1988.

[3] He served as assistant curate at Northam for two years, before moving to the Parish of East Avon, centred on the wheatbelt communities of Cunderdin, Meckering, Tammin and Quairading.

As assistant bishop, he has Episcopal Oversight of the Claremont, Coastal, Joondalup, Swan, Avon and Goldfields Deaneries.

He provided a statement at the time that he had a "deep love for rural and remote country people, and I have a strong sense of calling to them", and that "the challenges they face, spiritual, mental, financial and physical" were "the whole people of God to be lived with and in that place comes God's strength and encouragement".