For 10 years Rufus Smith IV has been the Sr. Pastor of The City of Refuge (COR) Church, an intentionally integrated, biblically centered, and socially active congregation with a vision to “blend suburban and urban believers” with all of its attending connotations and challenges. His aspiration is to be an effective teacher, preacher, and thought-leader for the church of the Lord Jesus Christ.

In response to the “healing” aspect of the gospel and as an extension of COR, he is also founder and CEO of The Forge for Families (FFF), a community development center in the greater 3rd Ward community of Houston. FFF uses athletics, after-school enrichment, adult life-skills, and summer entrepreneurial and leadership development as a means to the spiritual end of empowering single parent families and indigenous leaders through proactive and reactive strategies and activities.  FFF, though separate in board and budget, is in perfect harmony with the vision of the City of Refuge Church.

Pastor Smith is a member of the National Outreach Committee of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church and chairman of the Urban Ministry’s Taskforce and Church Planting. In addition, he has been the lead chaplain for the NBA Houston Rockets for 3 years and advises on four other local and national boards.

Pastor Smith studied at Houston Baptist University majoring in Theology and Psychology. He maintains a very active traveling and speaking schedule. He also loves baseball, reading, and walking. However, his claim to fame is his wife Jacqueline of 25 years and his three children: Ruth Abigail (graduate of Furman University of S.C.), Rufus V (attending Howard University in Washington, D.C., and Rhoda (attending Agnes Scott in Georgia).