In congregation after congregation, evangelism exists as an aspiration rather than a practice. In far too many congregations, it is valued highly — taught consistently, affirmed from the pulpit, embraced in principle — and almost never practiced with any consistency. This isn't for lack of desire. People want others to come to faith. What's missing isn't the value; it's the know-how.
A related pattern shows up in discipleship. Many congregations assume that spiritual growth follows automatically from participation — weekly worship, Sunday school, the occasional shared meal. These rhythms matter, but they aren't sufficient on their own. Few congregations have an articulated plan for helping believers grow in their understanding of the way of Jesus or in their capacity to actually live it.
The Brown Initiative for Discipleship and Evangelism exists to address both halves of this gap — helping congregations move evangelism from aspiration to practice, and giving discipleship the structure it needs to produce real growth, not just attendance.
Dr. Ethan Brown holds a B.A. in Theater from Harding University. When God called him into ministry, Ethan's studies shifted into religion, and he holds an M.Div. and an M.A.M. from Harding University Graduate School of Religion (now, Harding School of Theology). He earned a Doctor of Ministry from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in 2006, in a cohort focused on Spiritual Renewal in a Postmodern World. He is currently pursuing a second Doctor of Ministry at Gordon-Conwell, in a cohort focused on Outreach and Discipleship, with an expected graduation in 2028.
Ethan has served in ministry since 1997, as a preaching minister in Tennessee, Arkansas, and New England (seven years at the West Springfield Church of Christ), and at the Hendersonville Church of Christ since 2013. While in Hendersonville, he led the church to launch a recovery ministry and has worked extensively alongside unhoused and marginalized neighbors as they come to faith. From 2008 to 2013, he served as Assistant Professor in the Department of Bible and Religion at Lubbock Christian University and as the university's Spiritual Life Minister.
Ethan has been married to Ashley McKelvey Brown since 1997. They have three children: Gillian Thompson, who lives near Cincinnati, OH, where her husband Andrew serves as a Youth Minister at the Withamsville Church of Christ; Isaac, studying film at Harding University; and Silas, an incoming freshman studying Bible and Religion, also at Harding. The Browns have called the North Carolina mountains home for thirteen years. When he's not working (which is not as often as he'd like), Ethan can often be found as a shade-tree mechanic, keeping the family cars running.
