Our Pastors
Leonard R. Smith, Jr. (Pastor)
Leonard grew up in Alabama calling Coldwater his hometown but graduating Minor High School in Adamsville in 1990. He completed a B.A. at Samford University in 1994, and an M.Div. (2002) and a Th.M. (2005) at Southern Seminary in Louisville. Leonard pastored Bellevue Baptist Church in Sandusky, Alabama from 1994 to 1997 and Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Dry Ridge, Kentucky from 1999 to 2005. Leonard and his family moved back from Kentucky to Alabama in the Fall of 2005 following God's call to plant a new church in Shelby County. Leonard and his wife Kristin have five children: Tiffany, Timothy, Benjamin, Rebekah, and Nathan.
While you're here be sure to check out Leonard's Blog
A.J. Smith (Associate Pastor)
A. J. Smith was born in Sweetwater, Texas, the fifth child of a bi-vocational Baptist pastor. He graduated from Sweetwater High School with honors in 1979. He attended East Texas Baptist College and earned a B. A. in Bible from Hardin-Simmons University in 1985. After nineteen years of religious hypocrisy God marvelously saved him in 1987. In 1989 he married the former Michelle McDonald. They have four children: Kayla, James, Victoria and Laura. He served as Minister of Music in the First Baptist Church of Loraine, Texas, and as pastor of the McCaulley Baptist Church, McCaulley, Texas, before going to seminary. He earned an M. Div. in Theology and a Ph. D. in Church History at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky. He served as interim pastor of the Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church (ABC-USA) of Leavenworth, Indiana, and pastor of Macedonia Baptist Church, Jonesville, Kentucky. He also served as Director of Christian Education, Music, and Supervised Ministry Experience at Kosmosdale Baptist Church, Louisville, Kentucky. He taught Theology and Church History at Simmons College of Kentucky for two years before moving Alabama to assist in planting Seven Springs Baptist Church in Calera.
A. J.'s favorite Baptist author is Andrew Fuller. He enjoys music, reading, fishing, target shooting, and wood finishing.