ABOUT US
Smithwood Christian Church seeks to be rooted and grounded in the Word of God. It is the foundation of all that we do. It guides our worship, empowers our work, and deepens our fellowship.
OUR MISSION
Rooted and grounded in the Word of God, Smithwood Christian Church exists to fulfill the Great Commission by REACHING and TEACHING disciples for Christ.
OUR BELIEFS
Smithwood is a non-denominational church. Rooted in the historic Protestant tradition, we affirm the creeds of the ancient church and find much in common with the historic Confessions of the Protestant Reformation. Our Statement of Faith is a concise summary of our core beliefs.
OUR HISTORY
From humble beginnings with 13 charter members in a log schoolhouse, Smithwood Christian Church has served the Liberty and southeast Guilford County communities since 1878.
Statement of Faith
I. The Bible
We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired and without error, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that it has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.
2 Tim. 3:16; 1 Thess. 2:13; 2 Pet. 1:20-21; Mark 13:31; Acts 20:32
II. The One True God
We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; that these are equal in every divine perfection, and execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence and redemption.
Gen. 1:1,26; John 1:1-3; Matt. 28:19; Rom. 1:19-20; Eph. 4:5-6
III. Jesus Christ
We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in His deity, virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, and teachings. We believe in His substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, and perpetual intercession for His people.
Matt. 1:18–25; John 1:1; Phil. 2:5-11; Rom. 8:32; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 2:21–23; 1 Cor. 15:1-8
IV. Salvation
We believe that both man and woman were created by God in His own image. They sinned and experienced physical, spiritual and eternal death, which is separation from God. As a consequence, all people are born with a sinful nature and are sinners by nature and choice and therefore under condemnation. Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of God’s grace through which believers become new creatures in Christ. It is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, receiving forgiveness of sins and everlasting life. By this grace and the present ministry of the Holy Spirit we are called and enabled to live a holy life.
Gen. 1:27; Gen. 3; Psalm 51:5; Rom. 3:9-20; John 1:12, 3:1-21, 5:24; Rom. 5:1-21, 10:9; 1 John 1:9
V. The Church
We believe in the universal church, a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all born again persons are members. We believe in the local church, consisting of a gathering of believers in Jesus Christ, baptized on a credible profession of faith, and associated for worship, work, and fellowship. We believe that the two sacraments of the church are baptism in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and the Lord’s Supper.
Eph. 2:19–22; 5:19–21; Acts 2:42; Heb. 10:23–25; Matt. 28:19; 1 Cor. 11:23-26
VI. The Second Coming
We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of His kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgement, the eternal joy of the righteous and the eternal suffering of the wicked.
Matt. 16:27; Mark 14:62; John 14:3; Acts 1:11; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; 1 Cor. 15; 2 Thess. 1:5-2:12; Rev. 20
Our Pastor
Rev. Derrick Smith
Pastor Derrick was born and raised in Liberty, just a few miles from Smithwood. He graduated from Southeast Guilford High School then moved to Oklahoma for college. He received a B.A. in Pastoral Ministry and Biblical Studies. While there he also met his wife, Debby. They have been married since 2015. Derrick has been in vocational ministry since 2014 and has been the Pastor of Smithwood since December of 2020. They have one daughter named Daisy.