Florida Baptists’ top African-American leader to take early retirement

JACKSONVILLE (FBC)—Sid Smith, director of the African-American Ministries Division of the Florida Baptist Convention since 1994, has requested and been granted an extended leave of absence to care for his wife who has continuing health problems.

BP photo by Kent Harville

Smith leads network

Sid Smith, director of the African American ministries division for the Florida Baptist Convention, speaks June 14 during the pre-session meeting of the African American Southern Baptist History Project at Bethesda Community Baptist Church in Phoenix. See Denominational Servant’s Network takes stock of year’s milestones for related coverage.

The leave will permit Smith to serve as the primary care-giver to his spouse of 38 years, Arnette. At the end of the leave of absence, Smith has announced his intention to take early retirement by Oct. 31, 2005, at which time he will be 62.

Executive Director-Treasurer John Sullivan, who approved the leave and retirement request, noted that Smith has made “a significant contribution in developing the convention’s program of intentional multi-racial ministry.”

This emphasis has resulted in “outstanding church starting and evangelism efforts within predominately African-American neighborhoods all across the Florida mission field. Only God knows the long-term effect this intentional missions and ministry effort will have upon the Kingdom’s work,” Sullivan noted.

Smith began serving the Florida Baptist Convention after the creation of the African-American Ministries Division in 1994, the first cultural specific program division of its kind in any state Baptist convention.

During the past 10 years, Smith has led in an aggressive program of starting over 300 predominately African-American congregations. The division also developed a program of church development designed to assist pastoral and laity leadership in African-American churches.