Until the past couple of years, if you asked Reformed Presbyterians to say one word that came to mind when they thought of RP minister Ken Smith, many probably would have said “discipleship.” That word appears prominently in his own testimony, since what he has become so connected with was not something that was always important in his life. When he did discover its importance, he wanted to tell everybody.

And he is still telling everybody.

One of those people is Rosaria Champagne Butterfield, whose conversion experience is now known internationally. So when you ask many today what they think of when they think of Ken Smith, it is Rosaria’s conversion story.

Our nature is to redefine things, even lives, by their time in the sun. It has been instructive to see how the lives and ministries of Ken and his wife, Floy, have become summarized in their discipling of one person. They have been used as positive examples of witness to a hardened, “unreachable” sinner, and they are good examples to follow. They have also been used as examples of why friendship evangelism is the way to go today, as opposed to more assertive types of witness.

That’s sure to bring a wry smile to the faces of those who know Ken Smith. For Ken, evangelism and discipleship are not things that can be contained in a method; they are to be the heartbeat of the Christian life. He’s the kind of man who no doubt wakes up thinking about them and can scarcely put them out of his brain until he goes to sleep at night.

When I was a young man and Ken was my pastor, he once took me to hear author/activist Robert Bly. While discussing Bly’s worldview was one goal, he also had the goal of speaking with the author afterward and asking some incisive questions—which he did. It was that sort of strategic thinking that led to the first communication with Rosaria Butterfield.

While Ken’s life has had a profound effect on many in the RPCNA and far beyond (it’s fun to see the Google hits in different languages), his message is quite simple. Our life and strength are in our union with Christ; so let’s tell and train others about that. How easily we forget! But in Ken we see the fruit of a long emphasis in the same direction.