Pastor Will Smith

Pastor Smith received his ministerial and theological training at Oakwood College (now Oakwood University) in Huntsville, AL. He has been a minister for over 35 years. He began his ministry in October of 1986 when Elder Meade Van Putten, president of the Allegheny East Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, gave him a call to that field at the Sharon Temple Seventh-day Adventist Church in the city of Wilmington, DE where Pastor Bill Hall was the senior pastor and an excellent mentor. The late Elder William C. Scales Jr. (former Ministerial Director for the North American Division) was very instrumental in helping him get into the ministry. Pastor Smith worked with Elder Scales as a Bible instructor in several city-wide evangelistic meetings.

Pastor Smith is a specialist and expert at doing one-on-one Bible studies and small groups in leading people to Christ and preparing them for baptism. God blessed Pastor Smith to baptize more than 1,200 souls during the years of his ministry. In addition to that he has taught over 200 people how to be an effective soul winner and how to share their faith (see Testimonials).

Currently, Pastor Smith has his own ministry called, Lifting As We Climb. He is the author of the book, Lifting As We Climb, a ‘how to’ book on effective witnessing, how to give an effective Bible study and how to handle objections. And he also produced his own Bible study lesson series, Lifting As We Climb Teacher’s Guide and Student Workbook. Pastor Smith has taught numerous seminars ranging from Revelation Seminars to Spiritual Gift Seminars and he is a counselor as well.

Pastor Smith was born and raised in Baltimore, MD. Growing up in the Catholic Church, at the age of 10 he declined his mother’s appeal for him to be baptized. As a result, he began a life that quickly spiraled downward. During his teen years he would drink alcohol three times a day and doubled on weekends. 

 Marijuana was also a part of his ritual. Early on he had control of his alcohol consumption but later it controlled him. There was no relief in sight. Then his mother died four months before his high school graduation. This made him take a serious look at his life.

A couple of years later his future brothers and sisters in-law encouraged Pastor Smith to try Jesus. They lived the life they professed. He didn’t think Jesus could help his case. Who could help him with all the drinking and marijuana and partying? When he accepted Jesus as his personal Lord and Saviour, God took away the alcohol, marijuana and the negative lifestyle the same day. Thank God! His brothers and sisters-in-law are, Melvin and Mille Janey (Melvin is currently a pastor in the Allegheny East Conference of Seventh-day Adventists) and Kenneth and Marion Scott. Melvin gave him the Bible study. The Seventh-day Adventist church’s high standard and the consistent Christian life of his future in-laws is what appealed to Pastor Smith. He got baptized into the Edmondson Heights Seventh-day Adventist Church in Baltimore, MD and he never looked back. He did not join the Catholic Church which disappointed his father. As a result, his father did not attend his baptism or his wedding.

Pastor Smith had to fight to get the Sabbath off and after a number of weeks, God came through and he kept his job but no longer had to work on Sabbath. Also thank God for Pastor Rudyard Lord, his pastor at the time, for standing by his side in helping him get the Sabbath off. During the time of negotiations, he did not work on the Sabbath.

Pastor Smith is married to Yvonne and they have two grown sons, Will Jr. and Aaron; and two grandchildren, Faybien and Ezra. Pastor and Mrs. Smith live in Fort Washington, Maryland.