“Ministry Helps Me See That Each Person Has a Life Experience and a Story”

Dawson Stephens hasn’t always felt the passion for ministry that he has today. It took strong action from God to change the trajectory of the life of this senior theology major in the School of Religion at Southern Adventist University in Collegedale, Tennessee, United States, and he uses his testimony to inspire other believers who are struggling with faith.

Stephens grew up a lukewarm, inactive Christian. Although his dad was a practicing Adventist, his parents’ divorce resulted in his spending more time with his mom, who was more secular. In high school he got involved in partying and drugs. One night when Stephens was 17 he was speaking with some friends at a party he was hosting when a voice told him, “The wages of sin is death.”

Describing the message as a “stab in the heart because I knew I’d been sinning,” Stephens felt the impending outcome in a powerful way. After the party he searched the Bible for the verse and found the full promise. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord [Rom. 6:23],” he read.

Dawson Stephens (center) joins the Soul-winning and Leadership Training program to host a weekend event. [Photo: Southern Adventist University]

God’s Gift of Eternal Life

“That broke me right there. I just started crying,” Stephens said, touched by God’s gift of eternal life. After a long talk with his mom, he attempted to pray for the first time in years. “It came from my heart. From that day on, I was converted.”

His negative habits shifted to searching Scripture. “I was really hungry for the knowledge and wisdom I found in God’s Word,” he explains. Through his research he realized, “There’s no other remnant message like the Adventist faith, nothing that follows the commandments so closely.”

Stephens attended a presentation by the Soul-winning and Leadership Training (SALT) program, a joint effort between It Is Written and Southern. As a result, he decided to enroll at the university and join SALT. He hoped to gain a solid foundation for his spiritual walk, since he was a recent convert. “That program was amazing,” he says. “It set the tone for the rest of my time at Southern.”

Dawson Stephens (front center, in blue) meets church members in Ecuador. [Photo: Southern Adventist University]

Called to Ministry

He began studying nursing, but Stephens eventually felt called to theology. His adviser Alan Parker said, “I remember long conversations with Dawson, where he grappled with his calling and how he could be faithful to God.

“One of the first things I noticed about Dawson was his sincerity and passion. He has such natural gifts for sharing his faith and caring for people,” Parker said.

Stephens’ involvement in different spheres of ministry spans working with unhoused people and prison inmates to involvement with the SALT program, Generation of Youth for Christ Southeast, and the Adventist Muslim Friendship Association. He has also participated in Southern’s Evangelistic Resource Center mission trips.

“I like the big perspective, and doing all these different ministries has helped me to understand how different gears work within the church’s systems for serving. Ministry always helps me see that each person has a life experience and a story,” Stephens explained.

A Solid Foundation for the Future

Stephens, along with his wife, Summer (Dekle) Stephens, a 2023 graduate from Southern, was slated to be an associate pastor at the Greeneville, Tennessee, Seventh-day Adventist Church following his graduation from Southern in December 2024.

“Southern has been a huge blessing. I would say that it has been one of the biggest factors in my personal development, life direction, and the friendships I have cultivated,” Stephens shared. “I’m not sure where I would be if I hadn’t come to Southern. It’s been like home since I came here four years ago, and I have grown a lot in my Adventist faith during my time here.”

The original version of this story was posted in the Southern Adventist University news site.