By Aidan McNeely
Tanner Brown, a 28-year-old New Bern, North Carolina native, is not just the William Peace University (WPU) chaplain and volunteer assistant men’s lacrosse coach. He’s also a source of support and guidance, dedicating his life to helping others grow spiritually, emotionally, and athletically by blending his love for sports with his faith in God to serve others in meaningful ways.
Among his two positions at WPU he is married to his wife, Sarah Brown, and is also an associate pastor at Pollocksville First Baptist Church. Not to mention he’s a physical education teacher, bible teacher, and middle school baseball coach at Iron Academy in Raleigh, NC. However, it wasn’t always like that, he was also once a WPU student.
Growing up, Tanner Brown was raised in a Christian family who regularly attended their home church, First Baptist Church of New Bern. His mother who is a proud WPU alumna, father, sister, and grandparents were a part of a strong support system where faith and community was central to their lives. Additionally, Brown had a love for sports.
“I was just born and raised loving sports,” said Brown. “Everything about sports, if it involved a ball, or a bat or anything, I was all in on it, so that was always something that was there in my life that I would be looking forward to.”
One year during high school Brown was called to go on a mission trip to Miami with an organization called Touching Miami with Love, to work with children from broken homes. These children were those whose parents were incarcerated, struggling with addiction, or lost to tragedy. After spending time and forming deep connections with the children, one heartbreaking moment was the calling for shaping who he wanted to become.
As Brown and his mission team were preparing to leave, one of the children asked, “Are you guys going to come back?” Before Brown could even reply one of the other children replied, “Who are you kidding? They never come back.”
“It was at that point that I felt God, and I was in high school at the time, and I just felt God telling me that that’s what I’m called to do, is to be present,” said Brown. “Just be present for people when they need you, everybody goes through stuff but, not be a person that’s only in people’s lives for a season, but be in people’s lives forever, for as long as I’m called to do, so it was at that point that I really felt a call to ministry.”
As he continued through high school he had some lacrosse offers from colleges, but he “had a few too many concussions” and wanted to focus on academics. Brown entered WPU in 2015 where he pursued a major in Psychology.
Although Brown said he, “Got tired of just sitting in my dorm room while my friends were at practice.”
Therefore, Brown tried out for the WPU baseball team in 2016 and made it. Then in 2017 the school had its first inaugural lacrosse season where Brown found his passion back in sports and was able to join the team.
Ever since then, “I just loved being involved with the program as much as possible,” said Brown.
During Brown’s time at WPU he also met Dr. Lee Carter who was the chaplain at the time and developed a caring relationship with him.
“He really helped me discern what my call was to ministry,” said Brown. “He was always there for me, and it was great just to be able to go to his office at any time and talk with him about whatever, and he really inspired me to want to be a chaplain as well.”
After graduating from WPU in 2019, Brown found himself juggling multiple positions, and they are never a burden to him.
“It’s definitely not easy, but I’m so blessed to be able to do things that I actually enjoy doing,” said Brown. I wish there were a few more hours in the day so I could hit them all on the same day.”
(Photo by Carly Vadinsky)
“I just really love athletics, so being a baseball coach and a lacrosse assistant coach is a joy for me to go to every day,” said Brown. “I love being able to try to help people, so being a chaplain and being an assistant pastor and being a teacher is fun to go to every day and just I love it, just all the guys that are on the lacrosse team are just so fun to be around, they bring me joy and it really never feels like a job.”
Thomas Newhall, a junior, exercise and sports science major, and defensive midfielder on the men’s lacrosse team at WPU shared his thoughts on Brown.
“He has great energy and he’s always smiling,” said Newhall. “Practice is always great when he’s there, like every time he gets there everybody’s always screaming and hollering just when he shows up in the parking lot, he just has great positive energy.”
“If he could be an assistant coach forever, that would be a good idea,” said Newhall.
Troy Humphrey, the head men’s lacrosse coach at WPU emphasizes the importance of Brown’s presence at lacrosse practices, and on campus.
“TB is an outstanding human being,” said Humphrey. “All of the guys look up the TB, and even the freshman, when they got on campus, they quickly realized that he is a man to go to if there’s any other issues, or if any guidance, and just his presence when he shows up to practice, and he’s at the game saying prayers with us, it’s made a huge impact on the culture and just believing in the coaching staff and trusting what we’re doing.”
During Brown’s education at WPU he also met his wife Sarah Brown and married her in June 2023 on campus in Dinwiddie Chapel. Brown is thankful for the many ways God has blessed his life.
“There’s really nowhere else I’d rather be a chaplain than at William Peace University,” said Brown. “I’m just blessed to have this opportunity, blessed to be a part of the lacrosse program, and just blessed to be able to be present with all the students, student athletes and faculty at Peace.”