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Whether helping to lead in the church, offering the opening prayers at local meetings, or by other means, Mike Smith has become a familiar face throughout Clark County. 

Now, the Executive Pastor at Church of the Living God, located at 114 Franklin Avenue, can add a new title to his resume. 

Smith recently graduated from Life Christian University Winchester with a Master’s in Biblical Theology. 

“I [am] excited,” said Smith, who received his Bachelor’s Degree in 2018. “I’m glad I returned and did what was needed to get the Master’s Degree.” 

Currently, as Executive Pastor, Smith has several duties. 

“My role is to ensure that the ministries align with the vision of the senior pastor,” he said. It’s like an Associate Pastor’s role, but it involves other stuff as well.” 

Life Christian University has several locations nationwide, allowing people throughout the United States to grow in fellowship and study. 

With the Winchester Campus operating at the Church of the Living God, Smith and others throughout the Commonwealth can undertake in-depth education. 

Topics included individual books of the Old Testament and New Testament, overview classes discussing both, and subjects like faith, healing, ministerial ethics, and more. 

“What you do is you take a class a month for four weeks, and it’s three hours each Monday night, which is just like taking a class over the whole school year but all at once,” Smith said. “I prefer taking one class each month instead of taking one class for the first hour, a different class for the second hour, [and] a different class for the third hour.” 

Life Christian University Winchester Campus Director Reverend L. Aimee Marshall adds that the teachings offer many advantages. 

“Studying [and] researching different things, looking it up in the original Hebrew, that is invaluable,” she said. “In today’s society, we’ve lost a lot of the meaning of words…when you go back to see what the original intent of the word was, you just get such a deeper understanding.” 

Smith hopes others will study using the same lessons. 

“Give it a try,” he encouraged. “The first [month-long] class on faith is no charge.” 

Smith hopes that the information obtained will benefit his work with church attendees by helping him gain further knowledge of the scripture. 

Having seen his work in the classroom and in action, Marshall expressed confidence that such positive results would occur. 

“You can see that there is a richness in his teaching and preaching,” she said. We’re excited about this! A lot of work goes into [getting] a Master’s Degree.”