Dr. Jimmy Nelson was called into the ministry in 1977 and surrendered to missionary service in 1979. That same year, he and his wife, Maggie, moved to Mexico with their three children, where they served as missionaries until 1990. He then pastored Green Acres Baptist Church in Stephenville, Texas, for three years. At the end of 1993, the Lord allowed him and Maggie to return to mission work, and the Nelsons began deputation to raise the monthly support needed for that work.
In 1996, the Lord opened the door for him to serve with Landmark Mission Projects as an international missionary. After Dr. Jack Green resigned in 2008, the church called Dr. Nelson as pastor, and he began serving in that role on June 1, 2008.
Dr. Nelson currently serves as pastor of Landmark Baptist Church, president of Landmark Baptist Theological Seminary, and director of Landmark Mission Projects. He remains deeply involved in mission work and has founded two seminaries on the foreign field. He holds six earned degrees and two honorary degrees: BA, ThM, DRE, D. Th. Ed, ThD, PhD, PhD, and D. Miss from Baptist Christian College; Patriot Baptist Seminary; Seminario Bautista del Valle; Faculdad de Educacao Teoligica de Amazonia; Landmark Baptist Theological Seminary; and Patriot University.
He and Maggie have three children, 10 grandchildren, and 5 great-grandchildren.