About Our Pastor - Elder Melvin T. Brown
A Gentle Giant with a Heart for God's People
Elder Melvin T. Brown, Pastor of Restoration & Praise Christian Fellowship Center, is a man of sincere faith who has a genuine love for God’s people and honors the call the Lord has placed upon him to share the gospel of Christ with others. After growing up in the A.M.E church as a youth and young adult, in 1991 he made the commitment to serve the Lord and established a personal relationship with Jesus Christ after receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
The Lord led him to join Greater Love Church of God in Christ where he immediately began learning, serving and doing God's will. Pastor Brown received the call to preach God’s word in 1995 and, with the approval of his Pastor, Superintendent Charles J. Brantley, he was licensed as a Minister in the Church of God in Christ. In June of 1997, while being faithful in service as a Minister, he was recommended to the Jurisdictional Prelate, Bishop E.L. Sheppard, for ordination as an Elder and was ordained an Elder in the Church of God in Christ in July of 1997 at the 77th Annual Holy Convocation of the Western Florida Jurisdiction in Orlando, Florida.
As an Elder, Pastor Brown continued in the work he was already faithfully doing and was also appointed as an Administrative Aide to work directly with his Pastor in overseeing the men and outreach of the church. During his eleven-year tenure at Greater Love, his service included leading the Street Ministry, being President of Ward Joy (a membership auxiliary), serving as a Trustee Board member, and teaching the Men’s Sunday School Class. In 2001, with his Pastor’s blessing, Pastor Brown moved forward with the call the Lord had placed upon him to Pastor. He founded this church, Restoration & Praise Christian Fellowship Center, “The Ministry with God’s People at Heart,” as a non-denominational church to enrich the body of Christ and feed the Word of God.
He has a vision to see God’s will fulfilled through effective ministry and knows firsthand the importance of helping to restore God’s people and shifting them towards Godly purpose and direction in their lives. He is committed to going that extra mile to guide persons to wholeness and completeness in Christ and provide a ministry where there is unhindered freedom to worship and praise God. It's his sincere desire that every member of Restoration & Praise Christian Fellowship Center be an overcomer and have victory in their life through Jesus Christ!
On a personal note, Pastor Brown received his secular education from Rickards High School and Prairie View A&M University, and his spiritual training by the leading of the Holy Spirit through the Church of God in Christ, the Tallahassee Bible Institute and C.H. Mason Bible College. He has been married to his sweetheart, our First Lady, Stephanie Brown, since 1992, and has two children; a daughter and a son, whom he loves dearly. He is an avid football fan and loves to cheer for his Florida State Seminoles and the FAMU Rattlers (our local Tallahassee favorites), for the Prairie View Panthers where he played college football, and the Dallas Cowboys, another favorite Texas team where he grew up watching his uncle play as a corner back.
Pastor Brown is truly one of the kindest persons you will ever meet and is genuine in his love for God’s people and his love for Christ. We consider ourselves blessed to have him as our Pastor and thank God for his awesome teaching ministry! It's very obvious that his passion IS to do the work and will of the Lord, and loving God and family, reaching people for Christ, and pastoring Restoration & Praise are truly his heart and joy!
