By TSD Newsroom
Pastor Stephen “Wade” Steelman has joined the pastoral staff at Brown Missionary Baptist Church (BMBC), making him the first non-black pastor in the historically black church since its founding in 1882.
Baptist churches in the South have historically been divided along racial lines, and the Rev. Bartholomew Orr, senior pastor of BMBC since 1989, said he hopes Brown can exemplify how we can nurture unity and understanding and lift each other up spiritually through Christ.
“God not only intends – he requires that we love our brother and sister, despite race, yet one of the most racially segregated places in our society has historically been church,” said Orr. “I hired Pastor Steelman because he is a knowledgeable, experienced and humble spiritual leader, but I also pray this is the beginning of more diversity in churches like ours.”
Steelman will serve as discipleship pastor at Brown, which has a membership of more than 10,000 people who worship at one of the church’s two campuses in Southaven, Miss. Brown also has foreign missions teams, more than 40 enriched ministries and supports multiple ministries throughout the world.
Steelman has served in various pastoral roles for nearly 20 years, in both small rural congregations and urban mega churches. He also served as a regional denominational leader within the Southern Baptist Convention for the Xtended Missions Network in Northwest Mississippi. He has traveled on missions to numerous countries, including Bangladesh and Poland.
“As the Discipleship pastor at Brown, teaching people how to allow Christ to live His life through them, and then launching them into a lifestyle of reproducing spirit-filled Christ followers is my goal — my life goal,” said Steelman, who holds a Masters of Divinity from Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary in Cordova, Tennessee.
“If Christ, through me, chooses to accomplishes this, I will not have served in vain.”
(For more information on Brown Missionary Baptist Church, visit www.brownbaptist.org.)
