Family legacies don’t always mean that one generation follows in the footsteps of another. But, on occasion, God’s plans work out that way. For example, Dr. Stephen Hall watched his father, Dr. Bob Hall, earn his degree from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, invest decades in fruitful ministry, and lead the seminary’s extension in Birmingham, Alabama, with excellence. Then, he followed the same path.

“When I was a kid, my dad felt a call to ministry, so we moved to New Orleans and lived on Lipsey Street,” Dr. Hall recalled. “I was in first and second grade those two years and have some really pleasant memories from those times. My dad was working on his Master of Divinity, but I remember walking to school and riding bikes with so many seminary friends. It was a great time.”

Stephen also became a Christian while the family lived in New Orleans, being baptized by Dr. Jimmy Dukes at Elysian Fields Baptist Church. After Stephen’s father graduated from seminary, the family moved back to Pinson, Alabama, where he took a staff position at their home church and later became director of the NOBTS Birmingham Extension Center.

Stephen began attending Lakeview Baptist Church while studying at Auburn University. During his time at Lakeview, he began to sense God’s call to ministry in his own life.

“I didn’t know what it would look like, but I began taking action toward it,” he said. “I was scared to death because I had been moving in a different direction. I was studying physics and was going to teach or do research. But the Lord kept directing my paths.”

Those paths moved him toward the very institution his father was leading. After graduating from Auburn, Stephen began serving at First Baptist Church of Lanett, Alabama, and attending the NOBTS extension in Birmingham. He went on to earn a master’s degree and a doctorate from NOBTS, and he currently serves as Executive Pastor at NorthPark Church in Trussville, Alabama.

As one might expect, the Hall family legacy of church ministry and academic administration is not lost on him.

“Dad and I are extremely close,” said Dr. Hall. “He's actually one of my Sunday school teachers at NorthPark, but we have done a ton of ministry together through the years. Dad has been a part of leading ministry with me in all facets. That's been pretty special.”

In 2017, Stephen became the newest director of the NOBTS Birmingham Extension Center. While he appreciates serving on church staff, the opportunities to interact with leaders in a classroom setting provide another sense of joy and satisfaction.

“It is a privilege to walk with men and women as they prepare for a life of ministry,” he said. “That's a great privilege. I’m called to full-time ministry at the church, so, (the extension center) is more of a hobby. I'm blessed to have the hobby that lets me walk with men and women as they prepare to spend a life serving the church, serving the Lord.”

Like father, like son.