Wayne Smith celebrates 30 years at Millbrook Baptist Church

One of the many blessings that Wayne Smith has come to appreciate during his three decades as pastor of Millbrook Baptist Church is the baptizing of three generations of believers.
   
“There is great joy in meeting and baptizing people, then baptizing their kids, and in some cases even baptizing their grandchildren,” the pastor of 30 years explained.
   
And Smith knows of what he speaks having spent most of his ministerial career serving the members of his beloved church who recently honored him with a reception for his years of devotion and service.
   
Smith remembers being called into the ministry shortly after he was saved at the age of 17. He felt an almost immediate need to do something special for the Lord. Attending an associational youth rally, he listened as the preacher appealed to youth who might feel called to enter the ministry.
   
“I could hardly sleep that night, knowing I should have gone forward,” he recalled. “I went forward Sunday morning and told the church I felt called, and it all went from there.”
   
Smith graduated from Samford University, majoring in religion. He then earned his master’s degree in religion from Luther Rice Seminary in Lithonia, Ga. He served as pastor at five different churches before being called to Millbrook.
   
“I felt that Millbrook was where God wanted me to be, and I would stay there as long as God wanted me to,” he noted. “I’ve always been content to be wherever God placed me. I’ve had plenty to do and plenty of people to minister to here.”
   
Because Smith, his wife, Kaye, and their four children were led to stay in one area for such an unusually long period of time, the family became a strong part of the community. “Our roots really go deep here,” Smith said. “When you serve in one place for 30 years you get to cultivate some very long-lasting relationships within the church and within the community.”
   
Smith noted that one of the greatest aspects of staying at one church for a long period of time is the benefit to the minister’s family. “All four of my children were able to grow up in and graduate from the same high school,” he said.
   
Kaye, who serves as Sunday School preschool director, works in the church day care as a teacher of 4- and 5-year-old children. She has been an integral part of the church’s outreach and of her husband’s role as pastor. “She gives her support to me, and she is always so understanding,” Smith said.
City growth and church relocation are two of the primary factors that led Smith to remain at Millbrook. He had been pastor of the church for five years when he helped them face a difficult decision.
   
Should they build a new sanctuary in the middle of an area that was about to be zoned for businesses and where they would have no room for expansion, or should they buy new land and relocate? The church decided to buy land a couple of miles away from the original location, and build a new sanctuary there.
   
“Moving the church location helped the church experience tremendous growth,” Smith acknowledged. “We are in a fast-growing area. People move in and out and I’m constantly working with new people in the church.”
   
He noted that the city’s growth and change has helped the church avoid becoming stagnant as new members bring fresh life into the stable and devoted congregation. Two ministries of the church have been especially important to Smith in his years at Millbrook.
   
“One of the things I’m really proud of is that we started a day-care ministry about 12 years ago,” he said. “It has been very successful, and I think it plays a significant role in the community.” Another ministry the church contributes to is “The Welcome Center,” an organization that provides food and clothing to people in need. The organization also helps people pay bills. The church helps support The Welcome Center financially and through volunteer efforts.
   
Smith currently serves as chairman of the missions committee for Elmore Baptist Association. He has also served as moderator and evangelism director, as well as serving on the State Board of Missions.
   
Smith said ministers sometimes leave churches prematurely, running away from dealing with small problems. “There’s great satisfaction in working through problems, and both the pastor and the church will mature from it. With God’s help you can solve the problems and work through times of adversity,” he said.