Pastor Ray A. Owens, Ph.D.
Dr. Ray A. Owens leads a multifaceted life as husband, father, pastor-scholar and public intellectual. Prior to his pastoral appointment at Metropolitan Baptist Church, Rev. Owens enjoyed a variety of vocational experiences. He served as the Affiliate Assistant Professor of Ethics and Black Church Studies at Phillips Theological Seminary, Assistant Pastor and Youth Minister at Union Baptist Church of Trenton, N.J., Public School Teacher in South Central Los Angeles, Ca., and Fund Development Director for Teach for America in New York City.
 Since Rev. Owens’ tenure began, The Met has more than doubled its membership base, weekly attendance and annual budget. As a result, Dr. Owens is currently overseeing a capital campaign to fund the construction of a 45,000 square foot facility to accommodate the growing congregation. In addition to his pastoral duties, Rev. Owens has taught religious studies courses at Oklahoma State University-Tulsa and Texas Christian University. He currently serves as an Assistant Professor at Phillips Theological Seminary.
Dr. Owens has a particular passion for issues related to youth and education. His doctoral dissertation, which is currently being revised for publication, seeks to address the contemporary crisis in black education by mining the resources of African American religion. He has delivered addresses to various educational institutions, including colleges and universities and K-12 schools, as well as conferences, synagogues, and churches on topics related to his research and insights on black education. Dr. Owens is a regular columnist for the Oklahoma City Herald and has published essays in academic journals on topics related to education and black religion.
Dr. Owens is deeply involved in the Tulsa community. He serves on the board of directors for the Oklahoma Center for Community and Justice, Community Action Project, John Hope Franklin Center for Reconciliation and the Ronald McDonald House. He is also an active member of both Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity.
In 1989, Dr. Owens earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1998. In spring 2005, he received the cum laude distinction for his doctoral dissertation and earned the Doctorate of Philosophy in Religion and Society from Princeton Theological Seminary.
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