Counselor Andrew “Andy” Smith—the ninetyandnine.com interview
March 12, 2007
Interviewed by Kent d Curry
 

So, Dear Gabby melted into the sunset, but we were still receiving earnest letters for advice. Since no one could possibly top the old girl at what she did, 90&9 decided to strike out in a completely different direction with another unique talent.

 

If you’ve ever spent time listening to Andy Smith teach or preach, you know he has a helping heart. He also has a unique background, as well as a streak of bravery--he relinquished a position at the UPCI Headquarters to strike out on his own as a pastoral caregiver (most laypeople would call him a counselor), as that was where the Lord was leading him. Doesn’t sound unique until you look around and realize he’s one of the few who are doing that in Apostolic ranks today.

 

 

He’s agreed to aid 90&9 with our advice section, so don’t hesitate to “Ask Andy” with your confidential letters!

 

This interview took place in early March, 2007.

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90&9: Tell us a little about your personal background.

AS: I am a third generation Apostolic.  I grew up with my primary religious relationship being with the church.  That didn’t keep me.  After running hard and wild during my college years, I found the stability of a relationship with God when I was 23. I am the youngest of four boys--currently the only one living for God.

 

My parents died, 19 days apart, between my junior and senior years in high school.  Although not singularly defining, that event certainly set me on a course that the Lord has utilized to bring redemption, compassion, and hope to hundreds.

 

I have been married to Melinda (James) for 15 years and we have a delightfully precocious two-year-old named Emma Grace.

 
90&9: Tell us a little about your professional background.

AS: My professional life began at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, and continued as a naval officer on board destroyers.  During that time, I entered the ministry in an official capacity.  Over the past 15 years, I have served as a home missions’ pastor, an assistant, and a youth pastor on two separate occasions (one of those being in my early thirties).  Most recently we served on a ministry team as family pastors. Currently we travel on a full-time basis addressing the needs of pastoral families and providing a place for them to turn for help, hope, and healing.

 

Educationally, I have a Bachelor’s degree in English (U.S. Naval Academy) and a Master’s degree in Family Studies (University of Maryland).

 
I have enjoyed the opportunity to work in many secular settings throughout the years as a public school teacher (high and middle), as an outreach counselor for homeless and runaway youth, in a prison for adult male felons, and as the county-wide administrator for youth and prevention programs.  


90&9: How did you end up in St. Louis?

AS: We moved to St. Louis to work at the UPCI headquarters in the Home Missions Division.   Our work focused on supporting Metro Missionaries and their families.  We served in that capacity for just under two years.

 
90&9: Why did you decide to leave Headquarters?

AS: Simply, I needed to take care of my own family.  Our travel schedule filled and we were ministering out-of-town virtually every weekend in 2006.  I would return to WEC and work eight to 10 hours on the few weekdays that I was in town.  It became a brutal juggling act.  Although I loved the Metro families, the Home Missions’ duties became a second job and the strain was starting to weigh on us.  God was blessing our specialized ministry and the phone kept ringing.  It was a difficult decision and took several months.  Last November we started full-time ministry--Spirit Led Ed.

 
90&9: What does it take to be a good counselor?

AS: First of all, we know that when we lack wisdom, upon asking, God will give it liberally to us and not hold back.  His insight is like a rifle shot.  That being prefaced, we also know that He has been known to talk through farm animals. Considering the day-to-day interventions that we make as ministers and pastoral care providers, we must be very tuned-in to the condition of our vessel, the operative tool of education and direction.

 
Effective ministers need three things:  compassion (developed from a place of personal suffering), a good memory (realizing that if it wasn’t for God’s grace . . .), and the courage to touch people--literally.  Jesus could have spoken to the leper and healed him, but He chose to touch the man.  I personally believe that the skin-to-skin contact was as healing to the man’s heart as the miracle was to his body.
 
90&9: Why is professional counseling still so unusual in Apostolic circles?

AS: I am not a professional counselor.  I operate as a pastor and I provide pastoral care and family life education.  I do have a Master’s degree in a field that is typically licensed.  The reality is that a counseling license is not like a driver’s license--there is no reciprocity between most states.  If I was a licensed counselor / therapist in Missouri, I would not be licensed 20 miles away in Illinois.  When traveling to churches from state to state, I would be required to operate as a minister.  I consider licensure from time to time, but only in the context of settling down in one local area.

 

That being said, I am in contact with many college students who are focusing their ministries on becoming counselors.  I am excited about it because they are positioning themselves to effectively intervene in 21st century society.  This trend within the church mirrors the openness in our culture to admit our faults and find our best self; thanks, Oprah.

 
90&9: Have you noticed any pressing needs within Pentecost that are different than society at large?

AS: We could be a little more honest about our brokenness.  We can tell the truth about our struggles.  God doesn’t need us to be His defense attorney.  God doesn’t get a bit of glory from our strengths, but He is washed in glory from our weaknesses.  We are fellow travelers--sojourners on this path.  Recognizing the failures and struggles does not glorify sin--it glorifies Him.  We must remember that we are made overcomers by the word of our testimony . . . not just the good parts.

 
90&9: What do you think is the future of counseling in the Apostolic movement?

AS: Jesus Christ was the intersection of divinity and humanity.  I live this out everyday as a pastoral caregiver.  I am the vessel, flawed, and flailing.  He is the insight, perfect and holy.  We get together every now and then and help people.  I think that has a fundamental place in the Church.

 

When I travel away from my family, I rehearse this charge to my little girl, “God helps Papa and Papa helps people.  That’s our heritage.”

 
90&9: Now you’ve written several books already. Tell us about them.

AS: The Eleventh Commandment: Freedom through Forgiveness is a life work for me.  It is a mix of experiential and biblical principles: some personal chapters, some theology.  Offenses happen.  They are going to come.  This issue is how we deal with them.  Unfortunately, most people don’t deal with them.  Suppressing the pain doesn’t make it go away--it is just an irritant in a different form; not to mention that we sin and give the devil a definite foothold in our lives.  This book addresses the dynamics of forgiveness and empowers people to be free.

 

The Scent of Anointing: Equipping Men for Exceptional Living is a book directed at helping men become better men, fathers, and husbands.  The anointing oil was more than oil.  There were four other ingredients:  myrrh, cinnamon, calamus, and cassia.  I type each of these (purity, protection, priority, and produce) and make specific application.  Men desire power.  God desires character.  The Scent of Anointing is about growing the spiritual fruit of character.

 

Empowered by Pleading the Blood relates some of my misunderstandings and failures as a young pastor.  I thought faith was enough.  I was wrong.  Empowered shares my understanding of intercession and pleading the blood for protection and power in this evil day.  Hopefully some of my mistakes can turn a light on for others.

 
ninetyandnine.com
 

Ó 2007, Kent d Curry

 

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Kent d Curry is an executive editor of ninetyandnine.com.