Meet Pastor Ken

Rev. Kenneth W. Smith is passionate about helping people to know God's great grace and love through knowing and following Jesus Christ. Ken first gave his life to Jesus and sensed God's call to be a pastor as a young person growing up in the Boston area. He later earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biblical and Theological Studies at Gordon College, where he minored in English and also focused on philosophy and history, and earned a Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry in Preaching at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. 

​

​​Ken has family roots in Maine, and he and his wife Elisabeth are delighted to live in Gardiner and to serve with the people of the First Baptist Church of Gardiner. The American Baptist Churches of Massachusetts ordained Ken, and he previously served in Jesus' name with American Baptist churches in Massachusetts and Connecticut. He also has training and service as a hospital chaplain and financed his earlier studies by working in a variety of occupations. 

​

A favorite pastime of Ken's is listening to people's questions about faith in God and Jesus and discussing Christian theology. If he does not know the answer, he will look into it. Ken is also an avid reader and has been participating in and leading book discussions and Bible studies for much of his adult life. Currently he leads a monthly public book discussion at the Gardiner Public Library on books related to Maine and by Maine authors.  

​

Publications:  Ken's doctoral thesis was "Preaching the Psalms with Respect for Their Inspired Design." 
A paper for pastors "Preaching the Psalms" received the Willhite Award in 2003 from The Evangelical Homiletics Society and appeared in an edited version in an online article "Soul Sermons from Psalms" on preachingtoday.com. The paper was also published in the book Interpretation and Application, from The Preacher's Toolbox Series, Vol. 3, from Hendrickson Publishers.