Dwayne Rahim Stevenson was born to the late Thaddeus Johnson and the late Lottie Mae Stevenson Howard on July 7, 1961, in Brooklyn, New York. He was the youngest boy of six children. He attended public school and graduated from the August Martin High School in Queens, New York in 1979. Dwayne continued his education and received his Associates of Applied Science from Wayland Baptist University in October of 2005, a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Education also from Wayland Baptist University in October 2005, a Master of Theology from Guadalupe Baptist Theological Seminary in May 2013 and an Honorary Doctor of Theology Degree from Guadalupe Baptist Theological Seminary in May 2018. Dwayne also served his country in the United States Army, retiring after 20 years of service.