Barry Smith

Testimony & Bio

After 30 years of serving in a variety of ministries, Barry stumbled and fell hard. In the early 2000s, during a time of depression and deep discouragement, he turned to alcohol for relief and became an alcoholic. On his downward spiral, he did things and hurt people in ways he never thought he would. As a result, he was divorced, deposed from the ministry, sentenced to five years probation, and for two years, lived in an inner-city rescue mission.

It was while he was in the rescue mission that Jesus began to reveal himself to Barry in deeper ways than he had previously known. He began to understand grace for even the worst of sinners, of which there was no doubt he was one.

In 2010 Barry moved to Miami and was remarried. Through the love, acceptance, and support he received from his wife and his pastor, he was able to understand and embrace the love and acceptance of Jesus. With that, Barry has been sober since August 2014.

With sobriety came a reawakened desire to serve in ministry. But where can a disgraced, former pastor serve? In 2016 he was asked to teach a course for MINTS Seminary-in-Prison at Dade Correctional Institution in Florida City, FL.

In that prison, Barry found men enlivened by the Spirit who passionately wanted to know and serve God and make a difference for His Kingdom. They were hungry to be educated and trained so that they could minister effectively inside their prison and in churches and ministries after their release.

In 2017, Barry became the prison ministry developer for MINTS Seminary-in-Prison. Since that time, the program has expanded from three to over 20 prisons in Florida. In the fall of 2017, a partnership between MINTS Seminary-in-Prison and Metanoia Prison Ministries launched with a Seminary program at Walker State Prison in Rock Spring, GA.

In 2019, Barry joined the Metanoia team as a Regional Director for the Tennessee Valley, which covers East Tennessee and Northwest Georgia. He also continues the serve as the coordinator for the MINTS Seminary-in-Prison at Walker State Prison and has a writing ministry producing devotionals and curriculum.

Barry has an MA in Religion from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and an MA in Theological Studies from MINTS. Barry and his wife, Gail, have eight children and eight grandchildren between them. Barry and Gail are members of North Shore Fellowship (PCA) in Chattanooga, where he serves as a Ruling Elder. They live in Hixson, TN, just north of Chattanooga.