Dr. Tim S. Smith, Director of Missions for the Floyd County Baptist Association, will be the featured speaker at Shorter University’s 2022 Commencement ceremony on Thursday, May 5.

“Commencement is a wonderful time as the Shorter University family gathers to celebrate our graduates moving forward into exciting futures,” said Shorter University President Dr. Don Dowless. “We are delighted to have Dr. Tim Smith as our speaker. He is a great friend of Shorter University and a wonderful example of a servant of Christ who seeks to encourage others in their spiritual walk. Our graduates will be blessed by what he has to share.”

Commencement will be held at 10 a.m. in the Winthrop-King Centre. Tickets are required for admission.

Strengthening Churches in Their Mission

Dr. Smith has served as the Floyd County Baptist Association’s Director of Missions since March, 2021. The focus of his work is partnering with pastors and leaders to strengthening churches in their mission of making disciples. Each year he works with hundreds of churches, associations and other state conventions. 

He previously served on the Georgia Baptist Mission Board’s (GBMB) Church Strengthening Team as Discipleship Consultant for the Northwest Georgia region. Prior to this role, he had served the lead state missionary for Groups and Faith Development, specialist for Sunday School and Small Groups, team coordinator/leader for Sunday School and Open Groups and consultant for Bible Study Ministries.

Dr. Smith began working with the GBMB in 1999, having served the following churches: Tabernacle Baptist Church in Cartersville, First Baptist Church in Dallas, Wake Crossroads Baptist Church in Raleigh, Bowdon Baptist Church in Bowdon, Midway Church in Villa Rica, First Baptist Church in Douglasville, New Holland Baptist Church in Gainesville and Glen Forest Baptist Church in Mableton.

He earned his Doctor of Ministry degree from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.  Dr. Smith also received the Master of Divinity with Christian Education from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, a Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of West Georgia, and an Associate in Arts in Religious Studies from Truett-McConnell University.

Creator of Resources for Church Growth

He is also a National Bible Teacher for Sunday School University, the southeastern regional consultant with Center for Church Revitalization at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, the state trainer for DLife, and a church consultant for SOA Church Architecture and Construction.

Dr. Smith has authored, co-authored or contributed to several resources including; Lead Your Group, Bringing LIFE to Adult Sunday School, Basics of Preschool/Children/Youth and Adult Sunday School series, Sunday School that Really Excels: Real Life Examples of Churches with Healthy Sunday Schools, Be a Catalyst: Start New Groups, The Sunday School Leadership Course, Training Your Sunday School Leaders, The Power of 10, Key Strategies of a Healthy Sunday School, Coaching a Winning Team, Evangelism through the Sunday School, and Training the Adult Sunday School Class Leadership Team.

A native of Georgia, Tim and his wife Cathy live in White, Georgia. They have adult two children and two grandchildren.

Rapidly approaching its 150^th anniversary, Shorter University is a Christ-centered university committed to excellence in education. U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review annually include Shorter on their lists of best Southeastern Colleges. The university offers traditional bachelor’s degrees in 40 areas of study, online courses and degree programs, associate’s and master’s programs. Learn more at www.shorter.edu.