Pastors

Mike Smith

Pastor of Care

C. Michael (Mike) Smith has served as a pastor of Christ Community Church since the beginning of 1988. Mike is an Associate Pastor and is over our Serve ministry and our Congregational Care Ministry. He has experience in pastoral counseling, premarital counseling, Bible teaching, discipleship, mercy ministry and pastoral care.

Mike holds a Master of Divinity degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Massachusetts. Prior to entering ministry, he earned a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology from Western Kentucky University (WKU). While at WKU, Mike met Dr. Bill Lane, a professor in Philosophy and Religion. It was Dr. Lane who recognized Mike’s gifts of mercy and love for people and encouraged him to go into ministry. In 1976, Mike joined the staff of Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru) and served for two years as a campus pastor before entering seminary. He served as Youth Pastor at Cedar Springs Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee for seven years before coming to Christ Community Church

Mike married his wife, Rinda Lockett Smith in 1977. Mike and Rinda have three married children now and five grandchildren to date.

Mike is author of a premarital counseling workbook entitled Getting Ready for a Lifetime of Love which was published in 1999. He has helped provide premarital counseling for hundreds of couples entering marriage.

Eric Van Zee

Pastor of Children and Student Ministries

Youth ministry has always been a passion of Eric’s.  He is a ”military brat” and moved around a great deal as a kid.   It was during his junior year of HS that God moved him across the world – literally- he moved from Bitburg, Germany to Tampa, Florida.  It was there that Eric was confronted with the questions of what he really believed about God and his relationship with him.  His youth pastor, Craig, mentored and challenged Eric to seek out the Truth of God’s Word.  It was also during high school when Eric participated in a mission trip to Jamaica.  This trip had a profound impact on Eric’s heart for missions and a calling to love the lost.  Moving frequently gave Eric firsthand knowledge of the loneliness of being on the fringe and feeling out of place.   These experiences help to develop his love for meeting new people and nurture a longing to reach out to the kid on the sideline.   

Eric attended Covenant College on Lookout  Mountain, GA.  He graduated with  a degree in business and even worked for a large company for year.  It was during that year of working and still not feeling satisfied that he first felt God’s call for him to be in full time ministry.  He and his wife Jenn, moved to St. Louis MO to attend Covenant Seminary where Eric earned his Master of Divinity degree.

As Eric gets older, and hopefully wiser – and looks at the image in the mirror staring back at him –with slightly less hair than a short few years ago…– he is able to reflect on how God has been writing his story from the beginning:  using the good, the bad and ugly – all to shape who he is today and to bring Glory to a great God whose name is Redeemer.  Serving as the Pastor of Student ministries is a genuine privilege.  Words fail to express the joy of walking along side of students and their families.

Eric has served at CCC since 2001 and is surprised at how an Awesome God chooses to use a broken man like himself – yet that is a daily reminder of the essence of the Gospel.    He is married to his high school sweet heart, Jenn (15yrs this summer!) and "Dad" to 3 extraordinary, fun and brilliant kids –Benjamin (7), Kate (4) and Addie (1).