GREENVILLE, S.C. (May 3, 2019) — At its 92nd commencement exercises Friday, May 3, Bob Jones University honored Captain Steven Brown by conferring on him an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree.
Retiring in February 2013 after almost 33 years of active and reserve Navy and Marine Corps service, Brown is the president of Associated Gospel Churches (AGC) located in Greenville, South Carolina. AGC is an endorsing agency for nearly 100 Active Duty and Reserve Military Chaplains.
Brown earned a BA in Bible, an MA in Theology and MDiv from Bob Jones University. He received an MRE from Trinity International University where he graduated summa cum laude. During his military career, he completed the Navy Chaplain Corps Basic Officer Course, Navy Chaplain Senior Leadership Course and courses at the United States Marine Corps Command and Staff College.
After a time as a Marine reservist and serving as associate pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Panama, Florida, Brown returned to BJU to complete his MDiv. He joined the Navy Chaplain Corps in 1987 and was assigned as staff chaplain at United States Naval Station in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. His chaplaincy led to assignments in North Carolina, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the Mediterranean, Japan and Ohio.
Post 9/11, he was deployed to New York City where he served as part of a Coast Guard Chaplain Emergency Response Team providing ministry at Ground Zero, the Support Center, and the Disaster Mortuary Team facility. From 2004-2012, he served in Afghanistan in a variety of roles including Afghanistan Theater Chaplain.
Brown’s personal decorations include the Legion of Merit (with Gold Star), the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal (with 2 Gold Stars), Navy-Marine Corps Commendation Medal (with 3 Gold Stars), the Coast Guard Commendation Medal (with Operational Device) and the Navy Marine Corps Achievement Medal.
Brown serves on the board of directors of Appalachian Bible College, Fellowship of Missions (Executive Committee Chairman), Missions to Military, Virginia Beach Theological Seminary and as General Counsel to Baptist Mid-Missions assigned to the Presidential Search Committee.
He is married to the former Sandra Elaine Jones and they have five children and one grandson.
