Bishop Timothy Jeremiah Smith, Sr., is a native of St. Louis, Mo. He accepted Christ around the tender age of 14 years old and was filled with the Holy Ghost. He is a humble and gifted servant of God whose ultimate desire is to do the will of God.
Bishop Timothy Jeremiah Smith, Sr. and his wife Lady Evelyn Smith founded New Life Community Church of God in Christ in March 2009. New Life Community COGIC is a church ‘where new lives begin, and old lives become testimonies’ based on 2 Corinthians 5:17. The church was originally located at 8400 North Broadway, St. Louis, Missouri. After seeing the demands of a growing congregation, the need for increased ministries, and room for expansion, Pastor Smith began to look for a suitable place to relocate. The Lord blessed them with a nearly 20,000 square feet worship building. One of the first major highlights of his dynamic pastoral ministry took place on the first Sunday in September 2014 when New Life Community COGIC moved to their new edifice at 1570 Chambers Road in Dellwood, MO.
He has been faithful as a pastor, administrative assistant, superintendent and as a servant leader in the Missouri Eastern Second Western Illinois Jurisdiction under the leadership of Bishop Lawrence M. Wooten, Sr., prelate. He has served as Chairman of the ME2WI Pastors and Elders Council, ME2WI Jurisdictional Assembly Chairman and
Parliamentarian, ME2WI Legal Counselor, ME2WI Executive Board Committee Member, ME2WI Budget Analyst, and Superintendent of the Walter E. Donaldson District (District No. 10). Administrative Assistant Smith was recommended by Bishop Wooten to serve as an auxiliary bishop in the Church of God in Christ. On November 8, 2015 he was consecrated and installed as a bishop in the Church of God in Christ by Presiding Bishop Charles E. Blake, Sr.
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In addition to blessing his ministry, the Lord has also blessed Bishop Smith’s educational and career pursuits as well. He has received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Marketing from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He also received a Joint Master’s Degree in Human Resource Management with an emphasis in Industrial and Labor Relations, and a Juris Doctor from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has worked for a number of organizations and companies, including, most recently, as a professor in legal studies for St. Charles Community College, lecturer for the University of Illinois College of Law, Human Relations Analyst for Union Carbide in Charleston, West Virginia, and Labor Relations Representative for Ford Motor Company in Milan, Michigan.
Bishop Smith is a seasoned attorney and litigator with nearly 30 years of courtroom experience in the legal profession and a record of success representing the legal needs of thousands of clients throughout the entire legal process. Significant accomplishments include successfully representing clients convicted of a range of offenses from sex crimes to murder that resulted in acquittals, successfully obtaining substantial judgments, settlements, and awards on behalf of clients through civil litigation, mediation, arbitration, and negotiation, and achieving great success in personal injury and wrongful death cases.
Bishop Smith owns and operates a law firm in partnership with attorney Derek Rudman. He has been co-owner and managing partner for 26 years. The firm, Rudman & Smith, LLC, practices in the areas of criminal defense, personal injury, and worker’s compensation, and wrongful death, among others. In addition to serving as managing partner for Rudman and Smith, LLC, he has served as a judge for the City of Wellston Municipal Court. In this role, he performed professional judicial duties as the Municipal Court Judge for the City of Wellston, Mo., by presiding over the municipal court sessions for city matters, including criminal trials, pre-trials, hearings, and other judicial proceedings, and functioning as a municipal judge.
Bishop Smith also served as prosecuting attorney for the Village of Uplands Park, where he prosecuted all offenses over which the municipal court has jurisdiction. He also served as a Guardian Ad Litem for the City of St. Louis Juvenile Courts, as well as Assistant Circuit Attorney for the City of St. Louis. Further, he serves as prosecutor for the City of Dellwood Municipal Court, where he prosecutes all offenses over which the municipal court has jurisdiction and effectively prosecutes all violators of municipal ordinances, with knowledge of procedures of municipal, civil, and constitutional law, as well as prosecutes misdemeanors and violations, drug/alcohol nuisance, substandard housing and/or code enforcement, among others.
Bishop Smith is licensed to practice law in the states of Missouri and Illinois. He is also licensed to practice law in the United States District Court, Southern District of Illinois, where he serves as a CJA Panel Member – (Criminal Justice Act Panel) – court-approved attorney appointed by the court to represent individuals in federal criminal cases, who are unable to retain counsel for financial reasons. Further, Bishop Smith is licensed to practice law in the United States District Court, Eastern District of Missouri, where he serves as a CJA Panel Member – (Criminal Justice Act Panel) – court-approved attorney appointed by the court to represent individuals in federal criminal cases, who are unable to retain counsel for financial reasons.
Bishop Smith has served as the legal counsel for Missouri Eastern Second Western Illinois Jurisdiction, Church of God in Christ, Inc. (ME2WI Jurisdiction) where his role was to minimize the risk of litigation, protect its assets and to ensure the constitutional/legal rights to the jurisdiction’s nearly 40 churches and its members are protected, and to provide legal counsel to ensure legal stability of the ME2WI Jurisdiction, through the implementation of preventative maintenance practices and other legal dynamics. In this role, he also provided legal counsel with a thorough knowledge and understanding of ecclesiastical law and the legal processes in the Church of God in Christ, Inc.
Bishop Smith faithfully serves the Church of God in Christ not only on the local level, but on the regional and national levels as well. On the regional level, he serves as dean of education for the Central Region 11 Board of Bishops – Church of God in Christ. He also has served as a member of the COGIC General Assembly Constitution Committee—Judicial Branch Subcommittee, and COGIC General Assembly Codification Committee, Board of Bishops Resolution Committee, and has served as a Former Assistant General Secretary for Legal Affairs. In addition, he serves as Parliamentarian for the Board of Bishops.
COMMUNITY LEADER
Bishop Timothy Smith understands that leadership is crucial in a community because it empowers individuals, fosters collaboration, builds trust, and drives positive social change. Bishop Smith faithfully serves his community. He has served as a member of the Unity Pac organization, mentor for the organization Mentor St. Louis, and is a member of the Mound City Bar Association of St. Louis. In addition, he is a member of the Missouri Bar Association, has served as a committee member of the Missouri Bar Office of the Chief Disciplinary Council, serves as member of the Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys, Board of Governors Member for the Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys, and Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys, serves on the Board of Regions for Midwest College of Theology and the Board of Governors for Midwest College of Theology and Ecumenical Leadership Council of St. Louis. He has been the recipient of numerous awards, including recognition from the Unity Pac organization for his life’s work and contributions in the area of law and from the 100 Black Men of St. Louis Organization. In addition, he served as an elected member of the board of directors for West Community Credit Union, which manages and oversees in excess of $160 million in assets. He was also appointed to the Missouri Democratic Party Executive Committee. He has also served on the finance committee for the City of Creve Coeur. Through these roles, he has gained a wealth of experience and knowledge of leadership.
Furthermore, the Lord has blessed him to develop TJ Smith Properties, LLC, which owns and manages a number of rental properties throughout St. Louis City and St. Louis County. Bishop Smith is a visionary of great consequence. He currently owns three (3) churches. Bishop Smith believes in helping struggling pastors and those pastors who are new to the call and are unable to purchase new buildings. Bishop Smith opens up all of his buildings and rents space in his current facility to further assist those new pastors who are unable to purchase a building.
Bishop Smith has been married to the lovely First Lady, Evangelist Evelyn Smith, for 26 years, who serves alongside him in the ministry field for Jesus Christ. They are the proud parents of four children, including 2 adult children: Timothy Jeremiah, Caleb Joshua, Joel David, and Kaetlyn Elizabeth.