Paul Smith: From police officer to pastor

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  13. Paul Smith: From police officer to pastor
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Student Spotlight

BY MOLLIE TRAINUM

While some seminary students begin their journey directly after college, many realize their calling after spending years in unrelated fields. No career path or call story is exactly the same, and first level student Paul Smith, who retired from his position as captain in the Lancaster Police Department in Lancaster, South Carolina, after 25 years on the force, is a prime example of this.

“God has been calling me to go to seminary for many years,” Smith says, yet he notes that he didn’t feel called to leave his job with the police department. His 2016 retirement gave him the opportunity to continue working part-time as well as going to school, thanks to the flexibility and proximity of Saturday classes on Union’s Charlotte campus.

Smith believes his unique experience has uniquely prepared him for ministry. “Working at the police department showed me the horrors that people live in day to day,” he says. His goal for ministry is to utilize his own firsthand experience to minister to those in similar positions. Smith says he feels he is able “to provide chaplain services to first responders as someone who has been there.”

Currently, Smith serves at Wade Memorial Presbyterian Church and at Old Waxhaw Presbyterian Church as a commissioned ruling elder and is also considering continuing his work in parish ministry in the future. In the midst of his busy schedule, Smith enjoys working with drones in his free time.

Now approaching the end of his second semester at Union, Smith says he appreciates the school’s atmosphere, noting that “everyone supports each other.” His advice to those who are considering seminary is to “talk with people who already are in the ministry” to gain insight and discernment.