In 2019, Dr. Debra White Smith launched her new ministry focus, The Wesleyan Woman: Biblical Concepts from a Wesleyan Perspective. Debra White Smith is The Wesleyan Woman. She is committed to championing small churches and educating small-church pastors and lay leaders as well as presenting biblical concepts from a Wesleyan Perspective, including scriptural holiness. While her ministry is not focused on women only, she also proclaims the value of women in ministry and is committed to inspiring women to recognize their value and impact. The Wesleyan Woman is reflective of John Wesley’s theology and is not affiliated with the Wesleyan Church.
Debra is a seasoned author, speaker, pastor, professor, and media personality who has 61 published books to her credit, including re-releases. Debra has been blessed with over 1 million books in print. Her work has appeared on various bestseller lists, and she has been repeatedly voted a reader favorite. Her book titles include: Small Church Big Impact: Practical Help for Pastoring in a Consumer Culture, The Divine Romance: Experiencing Intimacy with God, The Harder I Laugh, the Deeper I Hurt (with Dr. Stan Toler), Romancing Your Husband, Romancing Your Wife, The Tie that Binds: A Marriage Revolution of Love, The Jane Austen Fiction Series, and the Lone Star Intrigue Series. In 2022, Debra was
honored to be chosen as a writer for the new Nazarene Ministerial Course of Study curriculum and co-authored the course, A Celebration of Women in Ministry. She is also the author of over 400 published short works (articles, devotionals, etc.), including the scholarly article based on her dissertation, “Ministerial Training on Consumer Culture and Volunteer Management May Prevent Burnout for Small-Church Clergy,” published in the reputable journal, Pastoral Psychology. Furthermore, Debra wrote the newspaper column, “Ask Debra,” that ran from 2011-2013 and offered biblical wisdom for everyday life.
Debra has earned a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and an Ed.S. in Leadership and Organizational Management as well as a B.A. and M.A. in English. After finishing the rigorous requirements for ordination in the Church of the Nazarene, Debra was ordained an Elder in 2014. For over 14 years, Debra and her husband, Daniel, also an ordained Elder, have partnered as co-lead pastors in small Nazarene churches in East Texas. In 2022, Debra was honored to be part of the Vision and Strategy meetings for the USA/Canada Region, Church of the Nazarene, with Regional Director, Dr. Stan Reeder. In 2025, Debra was equally honored to present a seminar at the M25 Nazarene conference for pastors. For years, Debra’s award-winning writing, entertaining humor, and biblical knowledge have made her a sought-after conference speaker. Now, she mainly focuses her speaking on educating and equipping small-church pastors and leaders but is still booking other events for churches, retreats, and women’s ministry, as requested. Along with serving as president of Debra White Smith Ministries, Debra also serves a vice-president of The Revitalization Network, a ministry to small churches.
She has been a popular guest on radio and TV across the nation, including The 700 Club, At Home Life, Harvest, Getting Together, His Place, Moody Broadcasting, ABC Radio, Midday Connection, Fox TV, USA Radio Network News, as well as a vast array of regional media spots. She has also been the featured relationship specialist on the Fox News radio show, Plain Jane Wisdom.
Debra and her husband, Daniel, have been married for over forty years, and she is the mother of two adult children, a son and daughter, who are the light of her life. In 2018, she was blessed with a second daughter, her son’s wife, whom Debra claims as her daughter-in-love. Debra does not currently have any grandchildren; however, she does have four grandcats and two grandpups who will just have to do for now. Her favorite hobbies include shopping, fishing, and attending movies and theater productions with her family. Debra also vows she could eat Mexican food for every meal.