GRADY SMITH

Grady married Julia in 2009 and they have four children.  Grady has a bachelors degree in agriculture and business from Auburn University, and Master of Divinity (M.Div.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.  His Ph.D. was in the field of missions and evangelism with minors in theology and church leadership.  In particular, his doctoral research was on how one’s view of providence impacts one’s prayer life (click here to learn more about it).

Grady has been the lead pastor of Gateway since November 2016. Before coming to Gateway, Grady served on the staff of a church in Auburn, Alabama, for 14 years. 

In his free time he loves spending time with his family,  hiking and backpacking, doing home improvement and yard projects, riding roller coasters (as well as introducing his kids to the fun of coasters), and meeting with people at Chick-Fil-A!  His favorite books include Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology, John Piper’s Desiring God, Donald Whitney’s Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, Richard Phillips' The Masculine Mandate, The ESV Study Bible, and Timothy Witmer’s The Shepherd Leader.

C.J. FALCIONE

CJ is married to Nikki, and they have 3 college and young adult aged children, including a son who serves as a youth pastor at another local church in Montgomery. CJ has been Gateway's Associate Pastor since 2012, though he has been a part of Gateway since 2007.  

He is a graduate of Auburn University Montgomery (AUM) with a degree in marketing. After graduating, he served with Youth With A Mission (YWAM) for five years, during which he met Nikki.  They returned to Montgomery in the fall of 1997 and served in a variety of ministry roles before coming to Gateway.  CJ loves anything sports, time with his family and friends, and any opportunity to laugh.

GREG TEAL

Greg and his wife Cecelia both became Christians in 1980, and then met while Cecelia was on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ at Clemson University and Greg was a student involved in the ministry.  After being married in 1984, they embarked on a 23-year career with the Air Force living in California, South Dakota, England and finally, here in Montgomery in 2001.  After retiring from active duty in 2006, Greg began work as a civilian faculty member with the Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell Air Force Base, and continues there today.  They have four grown sons who are married and spread out across the U.S., with the exception of the oldest who settled locally and has blessed them with four precious grandchildren!  Greg and Cecelia came to Gateway in 2003 and have served in various teaching ministries in the church since then.  Greg currently teaches an adult Sunday Bible Study class.  Both Greg and Cecelia are passionate about being involved in biblical counseling ministry at Gateway, and are completing their certification as counselors through the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC).  They both love most things outdoors (hiking, running, biking, particularly in mountains and the coast) and especially to travel to beautiful places and try new foods!  

MIKE PRESLEY

Mike and his family have attended Gateway since 2018. He and his wife Amy were married in March 2006 and have two sons. Mike is the communications chief for the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA). He is a graduate of the University of Alabama with a bachelor's degree in public relations and is currently pursuing a master's degree in Christian ministry at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He loves traveling to new places with his family, listening to all kinds of music, playing drums, and leading hiking and backpacking trips to explore God's creation. He is passionate about studying and teaching God's word, helping others grow in their faith in Christ, and developing Christian community within the church, especially among men. Some of his favorite books and authors include The Lord of the Rings, Wayne Grudem, Mark Liederbach, and John Muir essay collections.

RICK STEEN

Rick married his high school sweetheart, Kim, in 2000, and they have five children. He works as an Air Force Chaplain and serves as an instructor at Maxwell Air Force Base. He previously served fourteen years as the pastor of Calvary Community Church in Alcoa, Tennessee, before coming to Montgomery in 2018 and joining Gateway.  He has a bachelors degree in history from Bob Jones University, a Master of Divinity degree from The Master’s Seminary, and presently is working on his Doctor of Ministry at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.  He enjoys reading biographies and military history, training and competing in triathlons, and traveling with his family.  His favorite authors include John Piper, D.A. Carson, Carl Trueman, and Martyn-Lloyd Jones.

WILL O'KELLEY

 Will grew up as a missionary kid before moving to the U.S. at age 13. He is married to his college sweetheart, Lara, and they have four wonderful kids, ages 12 to 6. Will and Lara have attended Gateway since moving to the Montgomery area in 2022, and they currently live on a small homestead alongside sheep, chickens and ducks. Prior to coming to Alabama, the O’Kelley family lived in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where Will completed his Master of Divinity in Biblical Exegesis at Bethlehem College and Seminary. Will also holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Will has worked professionally as an RN for the last ten years, and currently works at Baptist South Medical Center in the intensive care unit. He is passionate about discipling others to grow in the grace and love of Jesus.  Will has a broad variety of interests that include reading sci-fi and fantasy books, systematic theology, philosophy, farming, wood-working, drawing, board games, nerf gun battles and playing/listening to good music. When it comes to the topic of which super-power he should choose (a topic that is frequently discussed around the O’Kelley dinner table), he consistently picks flight as his power of choice!

WILLIAM FOXX

William married Janie in 1989 and they have four grown kids and six grandchildren.  William has a bachelors degree in entomology and a masters degree in aquaculture from Auburn University.  In addition, he has an MBA from Auburn and a Ph.D. in Marketing from the University of Alabama.  Currently, he is a professor of marketing at Troy University. William and Janie came to Gateway in 2003.  In addition to his role as an elder, he co-leads a Sunday Bible Study group and is involved with the Wednesday men's study group.  In his free time, William enjoys home repair projects, reading history, genealogy research, and travel.  His favorite authors include Bill Bryson, Michael Card, J.R. Tolkien, and A.W. Tozer.