Steve Sellers wasn’t planning on working for Alabama Baptist Children’s Homes & Family Ministries. He just knew God was leading him to work with wounded people.
“I was praying, ‘Lord, where do You want me? How can I help pastors and how can I help kids?’ I had looked at property to build homes for wounded pastors,” Sellers said.
But that door closed and another one opened — the chance to work at ABCH.
“This is how they offered me the job — they said, ‘Steve, we want you to come be a part of the family of the Alabama Baptist Children’s Homes,’” Sellers said. “I myself had been a wounded pastor at one time. I felt like I was adopted into their family that day.”
And until he retired earlier this year, Sellers spent his life advocating for children who also needed family — and he did his best to minister to every pastor he talked to along the way too.
“For 24 years, I have every day said, ‘Lord, help me please to work hard so that kids can be helped through the ministry and help me not to miss a wounded pastor and never to leave a pastor discouraged,’” he said. “He’s allowed me to do that. He’s given me the best of both worlds.”
Michael Smith, ABCH chief operations officer for north Alabama, called Sellers his “constant source of support and accountability.”
“He has helped me carry out my vision by finding the donors to support that vision,” Smith said. “As a result, the lives of many children and families have been wonderfully impacted in the present and for eternity.”
Sellers served since 1996 in development with ABCH, the last three years as development officer for north Alabama.
He recently stepped into the role of interim director of missions for Friendship Association.
Todd McMichen has joined the ABCH team as chief development officer, filling the gap left by Jay Boyd, who moved to serve in a different role in South Carolina. McMichen has served local churches in a variety of leadership positions for more than 30 years. Most recently, he served as director of generosity and digital giving at Lifeway Christian Resources.
McMichen will lead the ABCH engagement team, which is made up of the development, communications and database teams.
“Todd is already proving himself to be a very valuable contributor to one of our ministry’s desires — to be known for excellence and innovation while also pursuing sustainability,” said Rod Marshall, ABCH president and CEO, calling McMichen “uniquely talented and wonderfully qualified for the role.”
Michael Gentry has stepped into the space left by Sellers as development officer for north Alabama. Gentry — who also has served on Alabama Baptist church staffs and as a regional representative for Lifeway — will be based in Decatur and also serve Oxford.
Rick West is now the development officer for south Alabama. He is based in Mobile and Dothan. He has spent much of his career serving on church staffs in Alabama, Florida and North Carolina and has spent the past eight years serving as regional team leader and church partner for Lifeway.
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