Remembering the Life and Legacy of PCA Founding Father Rev. Kennedy Smartt (1924–2026)

Along with the entire Presbyterian Church in America, Covenant Theological Seminary mourns the loss of pastor, evangelist, and denominational founding father Rev. Kennedy Smartt, who went home to be with the Lord on Thursday, October 15, 2026, at the age of 101. Though we grieve with his family and friends, we also celebrate with them his entrance into the presence of the Savior he loved so much.

Rev. Smartt’s long and distinguished ministry took many forms, from pastoring two churches in Georgia and, for 15 years, West End Presbyterian Church in Hopewell, Virginia, to serving with the PCA’s denominational agencies Mission to the World and Mission to North America, and finally as Assistant Pastor (and later an active member) at Chestnut Mountain Presbyterian Church in Flowery Branch, Georgia, for many years. In the midst of all this, in the early 1970s he was also an influential leader in efforts to form a biblically faithful Presbyterian denomination—originally called the National Presbyterian Church and later the Presbyterian Church in America—in the face of the increasing theological liberalism of the time, a period he chronicled in his book I Am Reminded: An Autobiographical, Anecdotal History of the Presbyterian Church in America, published in 1998. That same year, he was unanimously elected as Moderator of the PCA’s 26th General Assembly, held in St. Louis, Missouri.

Rev. Smartt was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 62 years, Mary, in 2014. He is survived by four children, several grandchildren, and countless friends, colleagues, and spiritual children who were impacted by his life and ministry.

Rev. Dr. Thomas C. Gibbs, President of Covenant Seminary, commented, “Though we are saddened by the loss of Rev. Smartt, all of us at Covenant Seminary are grateful for the life and legacy of this faithful servant of God whose enthusiasm for the Lord, evangelistic fervor, and pastor-hearted churchmanship helped bring the PCA into being as a denomination committed to Scriptural faithfulness, confessional fidelity, and missional fruitfulness.”

Funeral arrangements for Rev. Smartt are yet to be announced.