Rev. Dr. Ronald L. Owens serves as the Senior Pastor of the New Hope Baptist Church of Metuchen, NJ and has the distinct honor of pastoring the church of his youth. After serving his first pastorate for over 12 years, he was called to his home church in 1990. Since being at New Hope, the membership has grown with many active ministries serving the community.
Pastor Owens attended several schools and seminaries and earned his Doctorate in Ministry at the Master’s Divinity School in Evansville, IN.
Dr. Owens is a former member of the Board of Supervisors for Field Ministry at Princeton Theological Seminary, and the Ad-Hoc Committee for Minority Recruitment for Robert Wood Medical School at Rutgers University. He was the past president of the Metuchen/Edison Clergy Association and former Vice-Chairman for the Democratic Party of Middlesex County, NJ. Dr. Owens was the General Secretary for the General Baptist State Convention of NJ. He also served as Chairman of the Board for the Chad Schools of Newark, NJ. He served as President and CEO of the House of Hope Community Development Corporation of NJ and is the first Chaplain in the history of the Metuchen Police and Fire Departments where he serves in crisis counseling in time of disaster and loss of life. He is a Past Moderator of the Middlesex Central Baptist Association, Inc. representing over 40 churches. In September of 2015, Dr. Owens had the honor of being appointed to the Board of Directors of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc. In this capacity, he had the responsibility of overseeing the Northeast Region which included states from Vermont to Virginia.
Dr. Owens is a Life Member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and a member of The Prince Hall Masons of New Jersey, where he serves in the Grand Lodge as Grand Chaplain Emeritus.
Pastor Owens has received numerous awards including the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Martin Luther King award for outstanding academic achievement and community service; the NAACP Merv Alexander Political Award for his political leadership in Middlesex County; the American Association of Affirmative Action Community Service award; the YMCA of New Jersey Minority (Black) Achievers Award, elected to the Heritage Registry of Who’s Who in America 2005-2006 and has a multitude of commendations and proclamations from the President of the United States, Senators, Congressmen, Governors, and Mayors.
Dr. Owens is married permanently to the former Cheryl Jones, they are the parents of two adult daughters Tracy Conner and Kimberly Owens, blessed to have four terrific grandsons and three great-granddaughters.
