Judah Smith (pastor)

Judah Smith and is the preaching pastor of The City Church in Seattle, Washington. He is also an author and an internationally recognized speaker.

Biography

Early Life

Judah Smith is the son of Wendell and Gini Smith, who are the founding and senior pastors of the City Church in Seattle, Washington. He and his sister, Wendy Perez, who is married to Benny Perez, the senior pastor of the Church at South Las Vegas, are the seventh generation of pastors. Judah Smith felt led to minister to youth at the age of 11. At the age of 13, Judah Smith gave his first sermon. During his high school sophomore year, Judah left Bellevue Christian School to go to Issaquah High School. He led a small bible study group that met during lunch. He told his classmates that he would not date, and he also avoided any events that could have drugs or alcohol. Some kids avoided sitting with him; however, in his senior year of high school, Judah Smith convinced the administration to let him have a nighttime rally in the school's football stadium. Using the PA system, he spoke a message AbOUT the reality of miracles, and he challenged the hundreds of students that came to look at their lives. Several dozen came forward to become born again Christians, including a star of the football team.

Ministry

As the pastor of Generation Church, Judah Smith, along with a biblically trained group of leaders, reaches Junior High, High School and University students weekly with four different services at various times and locations throughout the week. Generation Church has multiple campus locations located throughout the Seattle metropolitan area, including a facility on the 5000 block of 17th Ave NE, just two blocks north of the main gates of the University of Washington. Currently, the Generation Church has a weekly attendance of over 1,500 young people.

In January 2009, Judah was named the Preaching Pastor of The City Church, and assumed the roll of speaking to the whole of the church congregation every weekend, including Saturday NiGHTS to the church's Young Professionals group. Previously his father, Wendell Smith, preached every week.

Wendell Smith, father of Judah and founder of the City Church, a church listed sixty second on a list of the 101 fastest growing churches in America on a list made by outreach magazine in 2007, has named Judah and Chelsea Smith as the senior pastors of the City Church. Judah and Chelsea Smith will assume the role this coming September. Although he was limited in his ministry involvement towards the end of 2008 because of cancer treatments, Wendell Smith, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2004, will continue to serve as the founding pastor of the church and overseer of the City Church's network of churches.

As an international speaker, Judah has ministered to thousands in the United States, Canada and Australia. He has spoken in conferences such as Phenomena, the Hillsong Conference, and the Youth Conference in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada, and he will be speaking at Jentezen Franklin’s Forward Conference this year.

Media

Judah Smith can be heard on various podcasts that can be downloaded from iTunes, including the GCTV, The City Church (Young Professionals) and the City Church (Sunday messages) podcasts. GCTV, which is no longer airing, was a weekly television show from Generation Church that is hosted by Judah Smith where he used humor, stories and visual illustrations to speak about the Bible. His sermons can be heard on the The City Church (Young Professionals) podcasts and the City Church (Sunday messages) podcasts. In 2006, Judah Smith said he reaches an estimated audience of 30,000 people with his podcasts.

Family

Judah Smith is married to Chelsea Smith. He is a father to two boys, Zion and Eliott, and a beautiful girl, Grace Renee (nicknamed Gracie Rae Rae).

Bibliography

  • Soul Seekers
  • Dating Delilah
  • Reach