After a yearlong search, the Baptist Children’s Homes of North Carolina has a new leader for the first time in 40 years.
David Melber, a veteran executive leader in Southern Baptist life, was named the ministry’s next CEO following a unanimous vote by the organization’s board of trustees during a special meeting held Oct. 11. BCH officials formally announced Melber’s appointment in a news release the next day.
RELATED: For more stories related to the search for a new leader for the Baptist Children’s Homes of North Carolina, click here.
Melber currently serves as chief operating officer/chief financial officer with the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, a position he’s held since July 2020. In his current role, Melber is responsible for all of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board’s operations, including financial services, information technology, human resources, marketing, events and more.
Previously, Melber served as a senior vice president with the North American Mission Board from October 2015 to December 2019. During his tenure at NAMB, Melber developed what would become known as Send Relief, an evangelisitc compassion ministry. Send Relief was officially launched in 2016 with Melber serving as its president. In 2020, NAMB joined forces with the International Mission Board (IMB) to extend Send Relief’s reach internationally.
New start
Melber is BCH’s ninth leader since the organization was founded in 1885 and its first new CEO in four decades. His predecessor, Michael C. Blackwell, began leading BCH’s ministry in July 1983 and retired in September 2023 following a nearly four-month voluntary leave of absence that began in May 2023 and coincided with an independent review of the organization’s finances. The review revealed “multiple instances” of misuse of funds “directly conflicting with both BCH policies and Blackwell’s fiduciary duties.” Blackwell has denied intentionally misusing BCH funds.
In October 2023, the BCH board of trustees appointed a seven-member Search and Transition Committee to find the organization’s next executive leader. David Powell, BCH board member and senior pastor of Lovedale Baptist Church in Sylva, served as the chairman of the search team that recommended Melber to become Baptist Children’s Homes’ next CEO. In a statement following Melber’s approval by the board of trustees, Powell thanked members of the search team and said he was “excited for the future of BCH” under Melber’s leadership.
“I am confident that David Melber will be the person to seize the opportunities that God sets before us with the help of dedicated staff and ministry partners,” Powell said. “His executive skills and extensive experience make him the ideal leader to shepherd BCH into the future. What truly sets him apart, however, is how he consistently reflects his genuine love for the Lord in both his professional and personal life.”
Powell and the search team emphasized and encouraged prayer throughout the process, and both he and current BCH board Chairman Ronnie Holman said they saw those prayers answered.
“Through God’s faithfulness and the prayers of those who love this ministry, the Lord has brought David Melber and BCH together,” said Holman, who is a member of Baton Baptist Church in Hudson, North Carolina. “On behalf of the board, we are grateful that David has accepted this calling, and we are looking, with expectation, at what God is going to do through his leadership.”
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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Chad Austin and originally published by Biblical Recorder.
