This week’s spotlight focuses on Pastor Zane Brown.
For so many what they do is so entangled with who they are, there is no separating the two. Perhaps nowhere is this more true than for a pastor. It is a 24/7-365 calling to a congregation to guide them on a spiritual path and to be there for them during their personal trials should it be needed.
Zane is originally from Sumter, but he and his wife Vicki have lived in Walterboro since 1994. Brown was pastoring a church in North Charleston when he received a call from Posey Belcher, Pastor at First Baptist Church of Walterboro. There was an opening for a Director of Missions who would work with 32 Southern Baptist churches. Brown visited Walterboro to speak with Belcher and Brown accepted the position and that is how he ended up in Walterboro.
Mr. Brown’s journey from Director of Missions to his current position of Nova Church was a bit “complicated.” Zane was trying to encourage churches to do things a little bit differently, because the churches were losing membership across the board. Brown felt this would be an excellent ministry opportunity. Nova Church also wanted to minister to unchurched people. More contemporary music was another aspect of the ministry that Zane was also hopeful they helped other churches move toward as well. Nova Church is now an established church here in Colleton County.
Educationally Zane is a graduate of Baptist College of Charleston, Southeastern Seminary, and Luther Rice Seminary. Additionally, he is a nationally certified Crisis Intervention Trainer and a certified Law Enforcement Chaplin. His certification as a Crisis Intervention Trainer has sent him to Ground Zero during the World Trade Center attacks, the gulf coast of Mississippi after Katrina hit, and Super Storm Sandy when it hit the coastal northeast in New Jersey and New York. He was able to help first responders spiritually and sometimes give a shoulder to lean on because of the devastation they were seeing. He has also served as a chaplain to the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office.
He has pastored several churches along the way and the experiences have ranged from positive to dangerous. At one church a very serious crime was committed involving two members of the congregation and at one point Zane’s life was threatened by the families of the parishioner who committed the crime. God brought Zane and Vicki through that, but it is still difficult to imagine it could happen in a church in the first place.
Zane is a self-proclaimed “feather ruffler” and despite his more introverted tendency, he does not hesitate to call out unchristian behavior in a congregation and particularly with church leadership. Church leaders should be filled with the desire to do good by the congregation and not be in a leadership position for self-gratification and self-promotion.
Now at Nova Church, Pastor Brown seems to have found a good place. Their congregation is not huge, but they are faithful and welcome those who search for Jesus.
Personally, Zane has been in the ministry as long as he has been married to Mrs. Vicki: 48 years. They have two sons and four grandchildren. So, in addition to his title of Pastor and Dad, he is PZ to the grandbabies and Mrs. Vicki is YaYa.
When asked if he could identify a moment in his ministry where he felt like he was absolutely in the right place to do God’s will, Zane recalls a moment when he was at Ground Zero after the World Trade Center attacks. A first responder came into the tent set up for them to come in and eat or take a break. It was Zane’s last day to be in New York and he was heading out of the tent to go back to the hotel. In passing Zane asked “how you doing there, buddy?” The guy responded “not so good today.” That stopped Zane’s progress and talked to him out of the tent. He went back and sat down with the man about what he was going through. He witnessed to the man about Jesus and asked at the end if he was ready to accept Christ into his life. The man told him he was ready to right then, but Zane gave him all his contact information telling him you contact me and I will do what I can to help you. Of course, if this responder called him today, Zane would stop what he was doing and speak to this man with compassion and care even 24 years later.
Colleton County is fortunate to have a man like Zane Brown who cares not only for his congregation, but also for the community and to make himself available to those who need him.
