St. James's Church was organized in 1843 by forty rural families, and by 1855 the congregation had erected a brick church building adjoining what is now the town center of West Hartford.  The parish has a history of rectors who have remained at the church for an extended tenure. The immediate past rector, Fr. John Mitman, served from 1990-2001; his predecessor, Fr. Ronald L. Woodruff, served from 1971-1989; and his predecessor, Canon Douglas W. Kennedy, served from 1947-1971. Four former rectors have been consecrated as bishops of the church.

The church plant includes a nave with 54 pews, comfortably seating 500 people, a choir loft above the narthex, a sacristy off the sanctuary, and a vesting room. The attached parish house is home to the chapel (seating 65), church offices and Sunday School rooms, a parish room, auditorium, dining room, and kitchen. The property includes a paved and lighted parking lot with space for 55 cars and a memorial garden. As a result of a successful capital campaign in 1995, major remodeling was done on the parish house and sanctuary area of the church.

St. James's has a number of significant programs and ministries that enjoy broad support among members of the parish.  Three examples will have to suffice in this brief introduction.

The church has a rich musical heritage and takes great pride in its music program and its mixed choir of trebles and adults based on models provided by the Royal School of Church Music, with which the choir has been associated since 1963.

Outreach is central to the life of the parish. The outreach committee sponsors a different outreach project every month; in addition, parishioners are actively involved in collecting and distributing food; and there is an active, ongoing relationship with a school in Haiti.

The St. James's Center for Adult Education serves the parish, the town, and the diocese with a series of challenging theological classes offered four times per year.