Our Pastor

Bishop Jonathan standing with his staff, red vestment, next to his wife, Ivey in a bright blue dress

Overview

Dr. Jonathan G. Smith is a husband, father, and pastor on a mission – to see lives transformed.  He blogs and hosts a weekly podcast called Grace On Fire.

Dr. Jonathan has been involved in local churches throughout his life. Raised as a Southern Baptist, he received the gospel of Jesus early in life and has been forever shaped by its truthfulness. After graduating from college, he married the love of his life and worked for eight years as a sales professional and trainer for the pharmaceutical giant, Merck & Co. Together he and his wife, Ivey Rose, have three children – Jillian, Sterling, and Chamblin. While in the corporate world, he pursued further graduate training in business, finance, and management.

ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS

  • The University of West Florida, BA, BA – Psychology and Organizational Communication
  • Webster University, MBA – Marketing and Finance
  • Knox Theological Seminary, MA – Christianity and Culture
  • Reformed Theological Seminary, Graduate Certificate – Theological Studies
  • Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, ThM – Pastoral Ministry
  • Knox Theological Seminary, DMin – Dissertation Title: Gospel Identity: A Tri-Perspective Psychographic Model 

EXPERIENCE

In early 2008, he sensed a call to vocational Christian ministry.  He and his wife both agreed to pursue this calling together and Dr. Jonathan left his career with Merck. He entered into seminary to begin formal ministry training. Upon graduating from seminary, he was offered an opportunity to become the founding Dean of Distance Education at Knox Theological Seminary in Fort Lauderdale, FL. While serving at Knox, he continued to pursue advanced studies in theology and ministry. It was during this time that he felt called to pursue pastoral ministry and was ordained as an Anglican minister in 2011.

Committed to the truth that God changes lives through faith in his Son Jesus Christ, he transitioned from academic to pastoral ministry and became the Rector of Trinity Anglican Church in Orlando, FL. Sensing the call to church revitalization, he led Trinity to merge with another church in the Orlando area and begin a new work.  In 2014, the two congregations formed Redeemer Church. In 2017, Redeemer relocated to the campus of Community UMC and has enjoyed a ministry alliance, sharing resources and partnering in projects.

Today Redeemer’s vision is to see people thrive in Christ by cultivating compassion, justice, and love in our homes, neighborhoods, and city.

Sensing God had more for Redeemer, Jonathan launched Reach North America to bring the good news of God’s Compassion, Justice, and Love to the nations. He along with his colleague, was consecrated as a Missionary Bishop and now leads a mission based in Central Florida.