About Me

Founding Director of the IGNITE discipleship initiative along with Nigel James, Gary Smith lives near Cardiff, Wales with his wife Lesley. He has two children Beci who is at university and Ben who is studying for A Levels.

Having left school at 16, Gary did not return to academia until he was in his late twenties where he attained a BA (Hons) in Informal and Community Education. Initially he was involved in a number of sales related jobs before becoming an Recruitment Consultant in the IT industry. A long term member of the Boys' Brigade he was honoured to join their full time staff until setting up Big Ideas with Nigel James in 1995. IGNITE is part Big Ideas (not to be confused with Big Idea productions in the USA) He is the CEO of ignite
Ignite challenges young people to discover their purpose in life, to be a disciple of Jesus and to transform their generation, and since 2000, well over 12,000 teenagers have signed the IGNITE discipleship declaration which commits them to a radical life of discipleship. IGNITE also runs The IgniteHope and the IGNITE Leadership Academy which trains 18-24 year olds from churches in and around Cardiff in Christian Leadership. Ignite also operates in India, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Liberia and the USA

Gary is a consultant to the band Superhero and is the International booking agent for Rebecca St James and For King and Country.

In 2012 Gary and Lesley began to lead a new congregation in the village of Wenvoe called Vale Village Church