In the fall of 1978 I first met Thomas N. Smith, then a pastor in Tanglewood, Oklahoma, a few miles outside of Tulsa. Thom (as he spells his name) was a contributing writer to the Sword & Trowel (Amewican version) and a bright young man who interested me very profoundly. He was fresh, eager to learn, and willing to follow Scrioture where it took him. He was also one of the finest preachers I had ever heard. (He still is one of the finest praechers I have ever heard and those who hear him, down to this day, generally agree with me.) Thom is a unique friend. He has been a friend with whom I have shared great joy and deep sorrow, real differences and growing friendship. We have come close to ending our realtionship several times. We are both strong people with strong opinions, but love has always prevailed as we have worked out our challenges. Profound respect keeps us rooted in a relationship that we both now know will last a lifetime. We have so much invested in our friendship that giving up would be unthinkable. I pray that you too will make and keep long term friendships. It is a means to grace and spiritual growth. Thom and I cannot imagine who or what we would have become without one another.

It is this deep friendship, rooted in profound respect, that brought me to Charleston, West Virginia, this weekend to preach for Thom’s farewell service at Randolph Street Baptst Church. The day was superb. Thom has been pastor here in West Virginia for twenty-three years. He came here at 32 years of age and is now 55. So much happens during these years of a man’s life, so much. Reflecting on what has happened to Thom and me over these years was a powerful experience this weekend. The church is quite different than it was in 1984 and Thom’s children are all adults now. The whole day was a sweet  remembrance for everyone, especially for me. I don’t know how often I will come to Charleston in the years ahead but the times that  I have come here since 1984 have marked my life in an incredible way. When the folks sang the West Virginia state song at the dinner yesterday I watched as Thom wept, knowing the emotions that people and place can give to you when you spend so much of your life in the same place and with the same people.

I preached from 2 Timothy 2 on "Guarding the Good Deposit" and urged the church to make sure that they go forward by doing just this as a congregation with their new pastor, who will begin his ministry in a few months. Thom will now serve in Columbia, Missouri, with Christ Our King Presbyterian Church (PCA) as a co-pastor with my good friend Travis Tamerius. I believe this church will receive the blessing of two of the finest pastors I know and Thom and Travis will thus form an ususual team. I also believe Randolph Street Baptist Church in Charleston will be kept in good hands for a  future ministry that will faithfully serve the gospel for decades to come. This is what the local church is all about in the end. This is why the faithful minister must give his life to "guarding the gospel." since the power for all good in a local church is found in that message of good news.    

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Comments

  1. Michael Valentino June 25, 2007 at 11:35 am

    Dear John:
    Thank you for your June 25th blog. I enjoyed reading it very much. Through your ministry over the 11 years I have known you, I had the pleasure of getting to know Thom Smith and of having the privilege (and I choose that word carefully and mean it in every sense) of listening to him preach. I have a casette of his that I have just about worn out — “The Glory of God in the Cross of Christ” which Thom preached at Wheaton’s College Church at an R&RM conference some 7-8 years ago. It remains today one of the most powerful, moving and well presented sermons I have ever heard. Thom Smith is a master of words; a man of compassion; a student of the Scriptures; and a wonderful blend of pastor and theologian. I have long said — since I first met Thom, through your introduction, and since I first heard him preach — that it would be a blessing indeed to have sat under his ministry in a local church. I can only imagine the emotions which have tugged at his heart and his family’s hearts as he is leaving this long-term pastorate. And I can only imagine the mix of sadness over his leaving and joy over his next opportunity to serve the Lord which is filling the hearts of the congregation of Randolph Steet Baptist Church. I know, through our own friendship, somewhat of what Thom Smith has meant to you. You have long regarded him as one of your most precious friends and dearest brothers in Christ. I have only met Thom a half-dozen times or so, and each time he has left an imprint on my heart. I can truly say that I love him in Christ. And regarding his preaching gifts, I wholeheartedly agree with you, John. I have listened to men like John Piper, the late James Montgomery Boyce, the late E.V. Hill, yourself, Ray Pritchard, Erwin Lutzer, Tony Evans, D.A. Carson, Sinclair Ferguson, J.I. Packer and Thomas Nettles — to name only a few highly recognizeable preachers. Thom Smith is as fine a preacher as I know. I wish him, his new congregation and his old a great sense of the Presence of Christ, a continual stand for the Gospel in this increasingly dark hour, and God’s blessings and protection on all. If Thom ever preaches again in the Chicago area, please be sure to tell me.
    Your friend and brother,
    Michael Valentino

  2. Greg June 25, 2007 at 12:36 pm

    John,
    Several years ago you recommended a series of messages by Thom Smith on the nature of the gospel. I purchased the cassettes and was blown away by his preaching — an incredible mixture of power, wisdom, authority, and compassion. Isn’t it amazing how Christ gifts his church? I’m thankful for this wonderful pastor and for the many lives he has touched over years — and still will!

  3. Jack Isaacson July 2, 2007 at 6:13 am

    There appear to be several misspelled words. I have CAPITALIZED them.
    My Friend’s Long Pastorate Ends
    In the fall of 1978 I first met Thomas N. Smith, then a pastor in Tanglewood, Oklahoma, a few miles outside of Tulsa. Thom (as he spells his name) was a contributing writer to the Sword & Trowel (Amewican [AMERICAN]version) and a bright young man who interested me very profoundly. He was fresh, eager to learn, and willing to follow Scrioture [SCRIPTURE]where it took him. He was also one of the finest preachers I had ever heard. (He still is one of the finest praechers [PREACHERS]I have ever heard and those who hear him, down to this day, generally agree with me.) Thom is a unique friend. He has been a friend with whom I have shared great joy and deep sorrow, real differences and growing friendship. We have come close to ending our realtionship [RELATIONSHIP] several times. We are both strong people with strong opinions, but love has always prevailed as we have worked out our challenges. Profound respect keeps us rooted in a relationship that we both now know will last a lifetime. We have so much invested in our friendship that giving up would be unthinkable. I pray that you too will make and keep long term friendships. It is a means to grace and spiritual growth. Thom and I cannot imagine who or what we would have become without one another.
    It is this deep friendship, rooted in profound respect, that brought me to Charleston, West Virginia, this weekend to preach for Thom’s farewell service at Randolph Street Baptst [BAPTIST] Church. The day was superb. Thom has been pastor here in West Virginia for twenty-three years. He came here at 32 years of age and is now 55. So much happens during these years of a man’s life, so much. Reflecting on what has happened to Thom and me over these years was a powerful experience this weekend. The church is quite different than it was in 1984 and Thom’s children are all adults now. The whole day was a sweet remembrance for everyone, especially for me. I don’t know how often I will come to Charleston in the years ahead but the times that I have come here since 1984 have marked my life in an incredible way. When the folks sang the West Virginia state song at the dinner yesterday I watched as Thom wept, knowing the emotions that people and place can give to you when you spend so much of your life in the same place and with the same people.
    I preached from 2 Timothy 2 on “Guarding the Good Deposit” and urged the church to make sure that they go forward by doing just this as a congregation with their new pastor, who will begin his ministry in a few months. Thom will now serve in Columbia, Missouri, with Christ Our King Presbyterian Church (PCA) as a co-pastor with my good friend Travis Tamerius. I believe this church will receive the blessing of two of the finest pastors I know and Thom and Travis will thus form an ususual [UNUSUAL] team. I also believe Randolph Street Baptist Church in Charleston will be kept in good hands for a future ministry that will faithfully serve the gospel for decades to come. This is what the local church is all about in the end. This is why the faithful minister must give his life to “guarding the gospel.” since the power for all good in a local church is found in that message of good news.
    Posted by John Armstrong on June 25, 2007 at 10:39 AM

  4. John H. Armstrong July 2, 2007 at 12:28 pm

    Thanks Jack. I write these on the run and they are not carefully edited as my other work is for more permanent use. I am grateful for such corrections. I will work harder at being a better speller. I do know how to spell but then I use a spell-checker like everyone else. The problem is when you write directly on the blogging system that I use there is no spell-checker to employ.

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