Kingdom-minded hearts spur Kingdom-focused giving: The Southwestern Story of Ralph and Jan Smith

Editor’s note: The article originally appeared in the Spring 2023 issue of Southwestern News.

Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary has great significance to Ralph and Jan Smith, which is why they love supporting its mission and helping the mission continue to be fulfilled.

After high school, Ralph attended the United States Military Academy at West Point and after graduation was commissioned as an officer in field artillery training school in Fort Sill, Oklahoma. While in training, Ralph met Jan, an Oklahoma native, and they married one year after meeting.

After Ralph’s assignment in Oklahoma was over, they were stationed in Germany and then in Norfolk, Virginia, at Old Dominion University. He was assigned to join the faculty at Old Dominion to teach Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) and while there took classes eventually earning his graduate degree in business. After Ralph finished serving in the Army, he began his own business, Smith Capital Management.

While living in Norfolk, Ralph and Jan became active members of First Baptist Church Norfolk, where Kenneth S. Hemphill served as pastor. In 1995, Hemphill became the seventh president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and the Smiths traveled to Fort Worth that spring to attend his inauguration.

It was through attending the inauguration of Hemphill that the Smiths were introduced to Southwestern Seminary and became aware of the rich history and legacy of leaders that formed the foundations of the seminary. Afterward, Hemphill invited the Smiths to attend the Southwestern Advisory Council (SWAC) meetings and Ralph began to attend the meetings annually.

“The more I saw, the more I fell in love with it,” says Ralph. It was during this time, that “God was impressing on my heart to make disciples” and he “felt called to become a mentor and equip a person to be a disciple of Christ,” so he began to “study” to be a disciple-maker. In 2002, the Smiths took a leap of faith and moved from Norfolk to Fort Worth to “encourage and equip disciple-makers” as they built on relationships they had cultivated through SWAC, they explain.

Ralph says the couple wants “to give to God’s work.” Through prayer, they became confident that they “could invest in the lives of students by funding an academic scholarship,” and have funded the Ralph and Jan Smith Scholarship for pastors.

The Smiths say they “love being in the Fort Worth community so” they can “be close to Southwestern. We have appreciated the history of the founding of Southwestern and through our being a donor and member of the Advisory Council,” the couple says.

The Smiths involvement with Southwestern includes construction projects such as the Ray I. Riley Center, Mathena Hall, and the Jack W. MacGorman Chapel and Performing Arts Center. They worked with Jack D. Terry, interim vice president for institutional advancement, to encourage donors to help build the additions and were able to see the vision of those buildings come alive through their partnership with the seminary. “We’ve been investing in the work of Southwestern and our prayer continues to be that God will reach and multiply the efforts of all associated with Southwestern,” Ralph says.

Jan has had a rich experience serving with the women’s ministry at Southwestern as she says she has “thoroughly enjoyed working for many years with the seminary student wives through Dressed for Success and teaching Equipping Pastor’s Wives for Christian Hospitality” while also finding joy in mentoring student wives over the years.

The Smiths enjoy being members of the President’s Club, attending concerts by the School of Church Music and Worship, and special events at Southwestern such as Founder’s Day and “celebrating the work of B.H. Carroll and L.R. Scarborough award winners.” Ralph finds it “special” to be able to meet the students who receive the scholarships at the scholarship luncheon that is held each Spring. “To be able to attach a face” with a name and have the “opportunity to get to know who it is that has been a beneficiary in a small part of our investing” is quite meaningful to them, Ralph says, as he notes “giving to Southwestern is a significant Kingdom investment.”

“Every time we’re on campus, it’s a blessing to meet and encourage students,” Jan says. “It is our privilege to contribute and help support the Kingdom work and academic preparation that takes place at Southwestern.”

Ralph encourages “Southwestern to hold very close to the missional concepts” it was founded upon, adding that he and his wife pray that the mission of 1 Timothy 2:4 will “be clear and growing and increasing in the minds of pastors and staff members to pass it on to church members to grow the Kingdom of God.”

Elizabeth Bennett is a news writer for Southwestern News.