Northwind Institute

Rev. Dr. Fred D. Smith Jr., has over 30 years of training and experience as an educator, strategist, facilitator, and innovator in public theology, especially in the field of faith and health. He helped launch the newly established Center for Leadership in Public Theology at Houston Graduate School of Theology. As Faith and Health Consultant and Senior Scholar for Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare System, Dr. Smith participated in the development of the Memphis Model. As Educational Consultant to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center FaithHealth Division, he consulted on the development of FaithHealthNC and developed the FaithHealth Fellows program for the state of North Carolina. Other leadership roles included Associate Director of the Interfaith Health Program where he participated in the development of such programs as Not Even ONE-Kids and Guns; Whole Communities Collaborative; Faith and Health Consortium; The Institute for Faith and Public Health Collaboration.  He retired as Professor of Urban Ministry and Associate Director of the Practice of Ministry and Mission at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC where he developed and taught masters and doctoral level courses in Urban Ministry, Faith and Health, Black Church Studies, Practical Theology, and Children and Poverty. Dr. Smith is also a retired United Methodist Elder from the Western Pennsylvania Conference where he was pastor of Fellowship United Methodist Church.

A native of Oakland, California he earned a BA in Economics from Harvard University, a MDiv from Perkins School of Theology at SMU, and a Ph.D. in Practical Theology from Emory University.  Publications include Black Religious Experience: Conversations on Double Consciousness and the Work of Grant Shockley (with Charles R. Foster); “A Prophetic Religious Education for the Twenty-First Century: Black Boys Shall See Visions” in Theological Literacy for the Twenty-First Century ed. by Rodney L. Petersen with Nancy M. Rourke; “Africentric Christian Education: A Historical Perspective” in Africentric Approaches to Christian Ministry ed. by Ronald E. Peters and Marsha S. Haney.