Judith E. Smith elected editor of church school publications

NASHVILLE, Tenn., May 29, 2008/GBOD/ -- Karen Greenwaldt, general secretary of the General Board of Discipleship (GBOD), and Neil M. Alexander, president and publisher of the United Methodist Publishing House (UMPH), announced the election of Judith E. Smith as editor of Church School Publications. The editor is elected by GBOD and confirmed by the Board of UMPH, where the office of the editor is located.

“Judy Smith is exceptionally gifted and will bring to this new post a marvelous depth and vast knowledge of Christian formation and the work of publishing” said Greenwaldt.

“The world of curriculum development for small group study and for Christian education experiences is rapidly changing. Judy brings a great commitment to test new models for delivery of study resources for deepening Christian faith linked with excellent application of educational processes. The Church is blessed to have Judy Smith leading the Church through this vital work of curriculum development,” Greenwaldt said.

Smith is an ordained elder in the Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference and has had an over thirty-year career in Christian education, publishing, and executive administration with the general church. She served at GBOD as founding editor of Pockets, a children’s magazine; executive director of Publishing with the Upper Room; interim executive of Discipleship Resources; associate general secretary for Interpretation at the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry; and executive director of Publishing and later associate to the president at UMPH. She has served as interim editor of Church School Publications since July 2007.

As editor, Smith is responsible for general editorial policy, administering the work of the Curriculum Resources Committee and the editorial staff of Church School Publications, developing a coordinated publishing plan supported by UMPH, and assuring that the editorial content is consistent with the educational philosophy formulated by GBOD.

“Judy Smith has been giving God-centered, forward-leaning leadership to the UMC's publishing ministries for decades,” said Alexander. “She blends her obvious love for seeking, inviting, forming and sending out disciples of Jesus Christ with an uncommon and irrepressible passion for holy learning. People across the UMC will benefit from her wisdom and practical insights born of a faithful imagination of ‘what can be’ and deep compassion for teachers and learners everywhere.”