Ripley, MS — First Baptist Church of Ripley (FBC Ripley) will host a Revival Day on Sunday, September 14, featuring Dr. Robert Smith Jr. as guest preacher. Services will be held at 202 E Pine St, Ripley, MS 38663, including Sunday Morning worship at 9:00 a.m. and a revival service at 6:00 p.m.
Dr. Robert Smith Jr. arrives with a formidable legacy as a distinguished preacher and educator. For more than 25 years, he served as Professor of Christian Preaching at Beeson Divinity School, holding the prestigious Charles T. Carter Baptist Chair of Divinity. Earlier in his career, he taught at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, where he held the Carl E. Bates Associate Professorship of Christian Preaching.
Dr. Smith is widely recognized as a pastor, mentor, and scholar. He pastored New Mission Missionary Baptist Church in Cincinnati, Ohio, for two decades while completing his PhD. His teaching excellence was honored with Southern Seminary’s 1996 Findley B. Edge Award, and in 2017, he received the title Living Legend from the E. K. Bailey Expository Preaching Conference.
An acclaimed author, Dr. Smith wrote Doctrine That Dances: Bringing Doctrinal Preaching and Teaching to Life, which earned the 2008 Preaching Book of the Year Award from Preaching magazine and the 2009 Preaching Book of the Year Award from Christianity Today’s preaching.com; additionally, Preaching magazine listed it among the 25 most influential preaching books of the past 25 years. His other works include The Oasis of God and his contributions in Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary: Exalting Jesus in Joshua.
In early 2024, Dr. Smith recorded the audio version of the English Standard Version (ESV) Bible for Crossway. The recording was released as a chronological podcast in March and as an audiobook shortly thereafter.
Earlier this year, as Dr. Smith prepared to retire after a distinguished 27-year tenure at Beeson, the school held a special preaching conference in his honor. The event featured tributes from former students and colleagues, with emotional speeches and heartfelt memories. At the banquet, Beeson’s dean announced that the Robert Smith Jr. Scholarship was now fully endowed in his name. The associated Spirit and Power Project, anchored by the Robert Smith Jr. Preaching Institute, will continue his legacy by offering preaching development cohorts, peer groups, retreats, and other formation opportunities for preachers.
Details at a Glance
Event
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Revival Day at FBC Ripley with guest preacher Dr. Robert Smith Jr.
Dr. Robert Smith Jr., retired Professor of Christian Preaching at Beeson Divinity School, author, and pastor
First Baptist Church Ripley invites the community to join both services, where Dr. Smith’s rich experience and passion for preaching promise a day of spiritual refreshment and revival. His life and ministry—marked by academic excellence, pastoral care, and powerful preaching—reflect a humble devotion to transforming hearts through the Word of God.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
