At Bethel Baptist Church, we believe that the clear testimony of Scripture points to the church being governed in spiritual affairs by a plurality of elders. Elders in plurality include vocational elders, those who earn their living from ministry, and non-vocational elders, those who have occupations outside of the church.
Pastor Jay N. Smith
Jay was born and raised in Kansas City. Although his family attended church every week and he participated in the youth group and choirs, he never heard and understood the gospel during those years. In the Lord’s sovereignty, he joined a fraternity at the University of Kansas where he met two fraternity brothers who shared the reality of sin and forgiveness in Christ. After his first semester, Jay trusted Jesus as his Savior and Lord and became the spiritual brother of the men who witnessed to him. He joined a local church that was focused on the college campus and began studying the Scriptures and teaching Bible studies … and he met his future wife, Jan! They have been married for over 32 years, with four adult children and are now empty-nesters learning how to be good grandparents.
Jay completed a master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) at the University of Kansas, became a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), then joined an accounting firm in the consulting division. While pursuing a career in software development and database design, Jay continued to teach Bible studies and Sunday School classes. He most recently worked for BlueCross BlueShield Association for 14 years before moving into ministry full time. He has served as a church elder and pulpit supply speaker at several local churches. He began serving Bethel Baptist Church as interim pastor on June 15, 2018 and became the full-time pastor a year later. Jay enjoys learning Greek and is furthering his education at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.
Dave Kells, Elder – Email Dave.
Bethel Baptist Church 