Sector Key West Chaplain
Lieutenant Josh Johnson
Chaplain Joshua C. Johnson is a native of Waynesville, North Carolina. In 2011 he earned his bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice at Western Carolina University. In 2015 he graduated from Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary with a Master of Divinity degree.
In 2015 Chaplain Johnson was ordained by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and was called to serve as the Associate Pastor of East Side Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls, SD. He served there until January 2020.
Chaplain Johnson was commissioned into active duty service with the U.S. Navy on September 11, 2019. After commissioning he received orders to attend Officer Development School at Naval Officer Training Command and thereafter to the Naval Chaplaincy School and Center in Newport, RI. Afterwards, he received orders to USS ROSS (DDG-71), homeported in Rota, Spain. He reported for duty in October 2020, serving as the ship’s first permanently-assigned chaplain. While aboard, ROSS was deployed for three patrols in the North Atlantic, Baltic, Mediterranean and Black Sea. In August 2022 he became qualified as a Surface Chaplain Officer.
In October 2022, Chaplain Johnson reported to Camp Lejeune, NC to serve the Marines of 8TH COMMUNICATION BATTALION, the largest battalion within the II MEF Information Group (II MIG). While there, he delivered pivotal grief ministry and was instrumental in increasing suicide awareness and prevention, regularly conducting safeTALK and ASIST classes for the Marines and Sailors of II MIG. In June 2024 he became qualified as a Fleet Marine Force Qualified Officer