Pastor Smith was born in Buffalo, NY. He was taken by his parents to a Bible preaching church and was born again as a young boy by placing his faith in Jesus Christ as personal Savior. He felt called to full-time Christian service in his late teen years. After marrying his childhood sweetheart, Paula (Shaver), he surrendered to preach under the preaching of Dr. John R. Rice, who directed them to Midwestern Baptist College in Pontiac, Michigan (Dr. Tom Malone). He graduated from Midwestern Baptist College in 1974 and was ordained into the Gospel ministry by Emmanuel Baptist Church in Pontiac, Michigan. Since that time, he has been a pastor of independent Baptist churches for 38 years and was in the ministry of Evangelism for 10 years.