Jimmy "LJ" Smith - Pt. II
 How All Praise Began and WhereWe're Going... In this interview with All Praise Founder and Chairman, Jimmy Smith, we'll discover the roots of the ministry, how it was formed, the several transformations and the vision for the future. Q: What prompted you to start APM? A: In short, the Holy Spirit. I was leading worship at Living Way Foursquare Church in Seattle under pastor Roger Archer. Roger was one of the men in my life that helped guide me towards a career in Praise & Worship. After he left that church, I soon began to wonder what God had in store for my future. I told Him I'd go wherever He called me, but I wanted some clarity on my calling. It was that same week when it happened. Q: Exactly what happened? A: I was in my living room, on my knees, asking God (again) what HE wanted me to do with my talent and my desires. I felt I heard him speak to me the phrase, "tens of thousands" over and over. Moments later, a friend called and said I should turn on one of the Christian TV stations. When I did, I saw Ron Kenoly leading thousands of people in Praise & Worship, but it was just about over. They offered his video for sale at the end, which I purchased. A few days later, I watched the whole thing and began to cry. I remembered at the age of 14, a woman in my church told me that I'd be leading tens of thousands to Christ one day. It was at that moment, in my living room, in front of that TV, that I realized what I was suppose to do. Although, the path was still a little fuzzy, I finally had a clue. Q: Explain that. The path was fuzzy? A: Well, I thought God wanted me to be the next Ron Kenoly or something. So I started that journey, which I knew would be long. First thing I did after getting some Godly input was form a talented musical group of Christians. We called ourselves "The All Praise Band" and began playing for churches in the Pacific Northwest - mainly the Seattle area. Q: How'd that go? A: Great. We blessed a lot of smaller churches that didn’t have access to excellent musicians and in turn we were blessed, both spiritually and financially. The churches really supported us and many of them continued to send love gifts for years to come. But the best part was hearing from some of the churches how our group encouraged them to expect a higher level of excellence from their Praise & Worship team. Q: So do you still think you'll be another Ron Kenoly? A: Funny. No, the path has taken a few turns. While I still know God wants me to bring people to His Son, it won’t be with my own line of worship videos or CDs, or at least not with me being the front man. All Praise Ministries teaches churches how to take their P&W to the next level, so it’ll be through that teaching that I accomplish that calling. Q: So how does that touch those "tens of thousands" that were prophesied over you? A: If we do what God is calling us to do - teach others more about Worship, God will use those people to teach others, and those will teach others, and the number of lives APM touches will begin to grow exponentially, reaching our community, then the nation and the World. Q: That's a pretty high calling. Can you give us a glimpse of how that will look from the outside in? A: As God continues to shape the future of All Praise, the one thing that hasn't changed is His desired outcome - tens of thousands being reached and taught about true praise and worship. I hope from the outside it will look like a group of Godly men and women working together to share their knowledge base and positive experiences with other churches, organizations and Worship Leaders. I’d like people to see people helping people. Q: And from the inside out? A: It's all about our hearts. From myself to the board members to our spouses, and I'll even include the churches we help. We all want the same things. We want to offer God our absolute best at all times. Knowing we all fall short in His eyes, but striving 100% of the time to please Him. At APM, we want to share that commitment with others, coach them up to a higher level and teach them how to teach and train others. Q: Would you give us a quick look at the All Praise Worship Center? A: I will, but it will have to be a short glimpse. That's something God has placed on our hearts to accomplish, but the timeline has the potential to be a long ways away. Q: Why is that? Can't God do miracles and make it happen sooner? A: Ouch? I guess that sounded like we had such little faith. Yes, He could do that. And we'd never rule out that possibility. But there are many steps that have to be taken before that project can become a reality. At this point, we're probing into all the areas necessary to bring that to fruition. The APWC will be a reality one day. Not sure when but when it does, it will be a living breathing structure. Q: How will it help accomplish your goals for All Praise? A: It will be a training ground for worship leaders, musicians, pastors, singers and songwriters. In addition to housing multiple worship facilities, which we will rent to area startup and semi-permanent churches, we'll also host Christian concerts, conferences and seminars. There will be rehearsal rooms for area musicians. A state of the art recording studio that rivals anything in Nashville will be a big part of the ministry. And I’m sure there will be some publishing and possibly a recording label that springs from these resources. Q: Sounds like a big undertaking. Any timeframe for completion? And why are you laughing? A: Why am I laughing? I need God to give me a START time on this project before I can even begin thinking about giving you a completion date. We’re just in the planning and fundraising process at this point. Q: How much do you need to get started? A: All of it. We are firm believers that God provides everything we need for ministry. We will be a debt-free ministry all the way. Q: So you don’t plan on having a paid staff? A: I wouldn’t say that. But certainly, that comes later. First, we need something for a paid staff to run and manage. We believe God will provide our every need to accomplish the plan He has laid before us, and that He’ll do it with as many volunteers as possible. I’m sure at some point we’ll need to add a staff, but we’re just not there yet. Hey, if anyone reading this wants to donate a few million, we’re all for it. I’ll start hiring today. But for now, we’re doing exceedingly well with what God has given us. Q: Any closing statement for our readers? A: Yes. First, thank you to everyone who currently supports All Praise. I thank those who have made a commitment to pray for us on a regular basis. We are honored that there are those who have trusted All Praise by hiring us to work with their Praise & Worship ministry – thank you. And finally, thank you to those who faithfully support this ministry with your financial gift each month. Every single penny goes to either support other churches’ ministries or gets reinvested into All Praise. Coming soon, we’ll have a separate building fund and several ways to get involved in that project, as well as on-line giving. We’re also working with Kevin Skipper on setting up multiple giving avenues for larger donors and for those who want to contribute more than just cash to APM. If you’re reading this and wondering how to get involved, it’s simple. Contact us today and tell us you want to be an All Praise supporter. We need you. Q: Thanks for your time. Next time, we’ll talk to your wife and get her take on your progress, cool? A: Cool. Thanks! Jimmy and his wife Amanda serve as worship pastors at Dutch Fork Christian Church in Columbia, SC, under Senior Pastor Dave Bryan. They describe their worship style as "unapologetically contemporary and culturally relevant." |
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