DUNBRIDGE —Following in the footsteps of a long-term pastor can be a challenge for both the new pastor
and the congregation.
But the transition is working well for Pastor Eric Reza and the congregation of Christ’s Bible Church.

Reza officially became the lead pastor on Jan. 1, but he has been active with the church since he started
as the youth minister in 2010.
Former pastor Dale Smeltzer, who retired at the end of last year, began working Reza into assisting with
the worship services and he was ordained in 2014. At the time he began preaching roughly half the
sermons giving Smeltzer a break and sharing the duties in preparation of the transition.
“The congregation has supported me 100%,” Reza said. “We were already a church family.”
Reza’s wife, Nicole, works with her husband and assists him in several ways with the ministry.
The couple have been working to make some cosmetic and other changes to the church building, and were
part of the installation of a new roof.
One of the major changes that Reza instituted was with the music. He’s including more contemporary music
into the mix at the services.
“We still have the old traditional hymns and music, but a lot of people also like the contemporary music
as well. So we are mixing some of that into the service now,” he said.
In preparation for his pastoral role, he has taken classes at Northwest Theological Seminary in Florida
through its online programs, and also taken classes at Winebrenner Seminary, Findlay.
Reza says he likes to focus on bringing parishioners back to the “basics of the Bible.”
He used an example of people becoming comfortable with their faith as becoming stagnate like a standing
pool of water.
“It’s up to the pastor to help stir up that water. It’s tenfold on me — I have to teach you this and give
them all the tools they need to be able to live a true Christian life,” he said.
The congregation, with Reza’s guidance, is beginning to focus on community outreach, including to widows
and others in need. He said they have already fixed some porches.
One of the projects around the church was to make repairs to the bapistry. The Rezas’ son, 7-year-old
Quillen, was the first one to be baptized there after the repairs.
“That’s what he wanted for his seventh birthday,” Reza said.
Quillen attends first grade at Bowling Green Christian Academy.
Reza said both he and the church are truly blessed.
“Everything is really good,” he said.
The church is located at 11040 Middleton Pike (Ohio 582). Services are at 10:30 a.m.
When not doing church work, Reza is employed as a repairman for a commercial washers and dryers.
Nicole Reza works at Claire’s in the Franklin Park Mall.