
Jasmine Rose Smothers loves to inspire.create.encourage. with the people of God. She is an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church and currently serves as Lead Pastor of the historic Atlanta First United Methodist Church in downtown Atlanta, GA. Pastor Jasmine is a sought after preacher, teacher, workshop leader, church consultant, leadership coach, Birkman Certified Consultant, author, community advocate, self-proclaimed technology geek, creative, and amateur shutterbug who is committed to transformational community ministry!
Pastor Jasmine is co-author of Not Safe For Church: Ten Commandments of Reaching New Generations and Blank Slate: Write Your Own Rules for a 22nd-Century Church Movement.
Alongside Atlanta First UMC, Pastor Jasmine’s current focus is developing affordable and attainable housing in downtown Atlanta.
Twitter: @revjaz \\ Facebook: @therevjaz
Full Bio
Jasmine Rose Smothers currently serves as the Lead Pastor of the historic Atlanta First United Methodist Church. When she was appointed to Atlanta First in 2016, she became the first female, the first person of color, and the youngest leader in the congregation’s 175-year history. Jasmine’s love for the urban center of the City of Atlanta; her dedication to inclusive church communities; and her call to help lead people to abundant life makes her appointment to Atlanta First a perfect fit! This year, Atlanta First UMC celebrates 175 years of ministry with the city of Atlanta. To celebrate, Pastor Jasmine is leading the church’s development of the 360 Peachtree Street campus to better serve the community. The development project includes affordable and attainable housing, new space for two schools, and community services.
Previously, Rev. Jasmine served as Associate Director for Congregational Vitality through the Office of Connectional Ministries in the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church. In this role, Rev. Jasmine partnered with congregational leaders to equip them for maximum effective ministry in church and community. Rev. Jasmine served as the primary staff resource for several ministry initiatives including working to increase the vitality of congregations; racial-ethnic ministries; and the development of young clergy leaders.
She has served the United Methodist Church as a board member of the United Methodist Commission on Religion and Race; the Ministry Study Commission; and several task forces on Ministry with Young People. Rev. Jasmine is a 2015-2016 Lewis Center for Church Leadership Community Fellow. Rev. Jasmine served as a member of the United Methodist Church’s Commission on a Way Forward, currently serves as co-convener for UMCNext, and is a 2018 alum of LEAD Atlanta.
In March 2017, Rev. Jasmine was inducted into Morehouse College’s prestigious Martin Luther King Jr Board of Preachers. Rev. Jasmine has been named one of the “12+ Preachers that the English Speaking World Needs Now” by Nevertheless She Preached.
Pastor Jasmine is co-author of the Washington Post best-selling book, Not Safe for Church: Ten Commandments for Reaching New Generations, with Dr. F. Douglas Powe. Her newest resource, Blank Slate: Write Your Own Rules for a 22nd-Century Church Movement, is a collaboration with Dr. Rodney T. Smothers and Rev. Lia McIntosh.
Rev. Jasmine is a native of Atlanta, GA. She is an amateur shutterbug, loves music and crafting, spending time with her family and friends, and traveling the globe. Jasmine is a Birkman Certified Consultant. She is a graduate of Spelman College (B.A., Political Science) and Emory University’s Candler School of Theology (M.Div.).
Above all, Jasmine loves God, loves the Church, and is committed to inspire.create.encourage. to “equip the saints for the work of ministry” so that the world may know and be transformed through Christ!

Sample Workshop Topics:
- Communications and Social Media Skill Development
- Technology For Worship
- Congregational Vitality
- Engaging New Generations
- Engaging the Community for Transformation
- Risking New Leadership: How to Invite, Empower, and Retain New Leadership
- Vision and Mission Development
- Staff and Volunteer Leader Development
- Community Partnerships
- Ministry with Young Adults
- Intercultural Competency
- Multi-Ethnic Ministry
- Urban Ministry
- Turning Around Legacy Churches
One-On-One Consultation Topics:
- All of the above topics, plus:
- Birkman Assessments
- Reaching New Generations
- All Things Social Media
- Maximizing the use of Technology
- Apple Technology Products Set-Up and Training
- Sample Coaching Topics:
- Personal Leadership Development
- Congregational Leadership
- Managing Change
- Ministry with Young People
- Ministry Initiatives
For inquiries about the above topics and more, contact us.
Invite Rev. Smothers to your event!
You are awesome PastorSmothers. Enjoyed your sermon and truth telling.
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