The Rev. Kenneth Bryant Smith, Sr. (born 1931; died January 21, 2008) was a Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

-area community leader and minister.

Smith came to Chicago in the late 1950s to attend Bethany Theological Seminary

Bethany Theological Seminary

Bethany Theological Seminary is the graduate school and academy for theological education for the Church of the Brethren. Bethany, located in Richmond, Indiana, is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada and the Higher Learning Commission of the North...

, then located outside the city. He was ordained by the United Church of Christ

United Church of Christ

The United Church of Christ is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination primarily in the Reformed tradition but also historically influenced by Lutheranism. The Evangelical and Reformed Church and the Congregational Christian Churches united in 1957 to form the UCC...

 and began his career as an associate pastor at the Congregational Church of Park Manor. From there, he founded the Trinity United Church of Christ

Trinity United Church of Christ

Trinity United Church of Christ is a predominantly black church with more than 8,500 members, located on the southwest side of Chicago. It is the largest church affiliated with the United Church of Christ, a predominantly white Christian denomination with roots in Congregationalism, which branched...

, before pastoring long-term at Church of the Good Shepherd in Washington Park. From 1984 to 1999 he served as president of Chicago Theological Seminary

Chicago Theological Seminary

The Chicago Theological Seminary is a seminary of the United Church of Christ. It prepares women and men for leadership in the church and society through Master of Divinity , Master of Arts in Religious Studies , Master of Sacred Theology , Doctor of Ministry , and Doctor of Philosophy programs...

, and from 1979 to 1982, he held membership on the Chicago school board.