Although he originally felt called to be a pastor, Sammy Gilbreath has spent nearly 20 years at the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions (SBOM) leading other pastors in fulfilling the Great Commission.
Gilbreath, director of SBOM’s office of evangelism, will partially retire June 30 and begin working as evangelism director on a part-time basis. Also working part time in the evangelism office are two other state missionaries: Billy Harris and Phil Winningham.
While experimenting with the idea of regionalizing the evangelism office Gilbreath will move from his home in Montgomery to Florence to cover the northern region of the state. Winningham covers the central region and Hunt the southern region.
“We’re not going to stop doing anything we do now but we will begin doing it more regionally,” Gilbreath explained of his new position that will begin July 1. “Even in semi-retirement all our strategies (for churches and pastors) will be customized. We will continue to develop strategies to reach their needs and to reach their communities.”
Prior to Gilbreath’s time at SBOM he served as pastor of several Alabama Baptist churches including Ridgedale Baptist Church, Scottsboro; Flint River Baptist Church, Hazel Green; and Highland Baptist Church, Florence. He served as associate pastor/administrator for First Baptist Church, Huntsville. He also served as pastor of churches in Mississippi, Kentucky and South Carolina.
Gilbreath earned a bachelor’s degree from Alabama A&M University in Huntsville; a master of divinity degree from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky.; and a doctor of ministry degree from Drew University in Madison, N.J.
He and his wife, Carol, have two children and four grandchildren.
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