Kathleen Smith

As Adjunct Professor of Church Polity at Calvin Theological Seminary, Kathy Smith enjoys helping to prepare pastors for leadership roles in the church and assisting them in effective leadership when they are in ministry. Kathy consults with pastors and other leaders in congregations, regional classes and denominational positions regarding the application of church order to specific situations, and serves as a regular adviser to the synod of the Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA). She believes that understanding the history and theology behind church polity helps us to understand how to live and work together well as a denomination.

Kathy also serves as the Associate Director of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, and Program Manager for its Grants Programs (http://worship.calvin.edu/about/staff-directory/kathy-smith). There she oversees an ecumenical grants program that encourages vital worship in a variety of worshiping communities, and is part of the leadership team for the Worship Institute, which promotes the scholarly study of worship and the renewal of worship in congregations across North America.

Kathy is the author of Stilling the Storm: Worship and Congregational Leadership in Difficult Times (Alban Institute, 2006), a book that developed from her interaction with various congregations on behalf of the Worship Institute. She is an ordained minister in the Christian Reformed Church and served two congregations in that denomination. Kathy and her husband Doug have three married daughters. They enjoy traveling and spending time with family.