Our Minister
Ted Kuzma has been the minister for the New Smyrna Beach Church of Christ since March 1999. He and his wife, Becky, were married Christmas Day, December 25, 1969 while Ted was on Christmas leave in the Navy. They have two children. Their 1st born is Timothy who was born in 1975. After serving 4 years in the Marine Corps as Military Police, he was a Police Officer in Orlando, Florida, and now is a Financial Advisor for Edward Jones in Daytona Beach, Florida. Their 2nd child is a daughter, Tiffany, born in 1982 and has 4 children. She is a Registered Mental Health Counselor and lives in New Smyrna Beach, Florida.
Served my country
Ted was an atheist during his early Navy years from 1969 – 1975. It was February 1974 when he became a believer and he and his wife were baptized in Collinswood, New Jersey. After his discharge from the Navy, they moved to Lubbock, Texas and Ted attended, then graduated from Sunset School of Preaching and the Missions Program.
Sailor to Preacher
Ted preached full-time for a while but then was hired by IBM where he worked for 18 years as a Customer Engineer, then an Educational Writer, a Field Manager, and lastly as a Project Manager. Throughout his IBM career Ted helped various churches around the country where they lived by teaching/preaching part-time. In 1996 he left IBM and returned to full-time ministry. He preached for the Brockport, New York church of Christ for 2 years and then moved back to Florida where in 1999 he accepted the position of minister for the Magnolia Street church of Christ, New Smyrna Beach, Florida.
If you build it
To not burden the New Smyrna Beach Church of Christ with his salary and thus allow it to build a new church building, Ted returned to secular work in 2006 by becoming a Financial Advisor for Edward Jones Investments, but continued on as the minister in a voluntary capacity. The new church building was completed and the first Sunday services were held in it on September 11, 2011. In October 2023, Ted entered a Retirement Transition Program with Edward Jones and in October 2025 will be fully retired as a Financial Advisor. Ted plans to continue to serve voluntarily as the full-time minster for the church.
Education
After graduating from the Sunset School of Preaching and the Sunset School of Missions, Ted also received a Bachelors Degree in Biblical Studies, a Masters Degree in Church Administration, Management, and Missions, and his Doctorate in Christian Family Counseling from the Theological University of America.