A native of Illinois, Steven Smith was raised in a Christian home in the farming country of the Midwest. He studied agriculture education with intention of becoming a vocational agriculture teacher at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, where he earned both a Bachelor and Master of Science Degree. In college, Steven’s faith deepened and his call to vocational ministry became clearer. When his wife-to-be, Diana (Annie), returned from missionary service in Brazil, they both enrolled at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth, TX. Steven finished his Master of Divinity Degree there in 1983, while Annie transferred to TCU and earned her Masters Degree in Education.

After a stint as pastor of a local church, Steven returned to school, enrolling at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. In 1989 he completed his Ph.D. in Preaching and returned to serve as pastor in the local church. During that pastorate, Steven enrolled in his first unit of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE). He flourished in the ministry of pastoral care, serving as a hospital chaplain. He went on to complete two years of chaplain residency in CPE at The Methodist Hospital in Houston, TX. He earned certification as a Board Certified Chaplain in the Association of Professional Chaplains in 2001. In 2000, he achieved certification as a Supervisor in CPE, which means he is qualified to train aspiring and ordained pastors in the practice of pastoral care and counseling He has supervised CPE students in hospitals and prisons in such places as Houston, San Antonio, Delaware and Greenville, SC.

Steven has done post-graduate study at Loyola College in Maryland. Currently. He is completing his Doctor of Theology Degree in Pastoral Counseling at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology. He holds endorsement as a pastoral counselor-in-residence through the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.

Steven and Annie celebrated 25 years of marriage in July 2006. Their marriage has produced three daughters. Rebekah (20) is a junior at USC-upstate. Hannah (15) is a sophomore at Greenville Tech Charter School and Leah (12) is in 7th grade. Annie has taught Kindergarten. Together they enjoy traveling and collecting stuff—like Longaberger baskets and pottery, Precious Moments figures and Kaleidoscopes. (You can guess who collects what!)