They may have always been there, but we only see them when we’re truly ready.
– Pastor Owen Williams
Pastor Owen Williams stands at the crossroads of faith, ethics, and real‑world leadership. He is the shepherd of St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church, formerly directed pastoral care services at Kings County Medical Center, and authored the Powerhouse book series—The Corporate Christian (Volumes One and Three) and American Christianity: Black Liberation and White Legalism. In this exclusive interview with Stacey Chillemi, he offers a sneak peek at his newest work, releasing October 7, 2025: Christianity, The Other Political Party — The Hijacking of Faith.
For more than three decades, he has challenged boardrooms and congregations to bring Sunday beliefs into Monday meetings, exposing the hidden wars between spiritual conviction and corporate culture. His call is clear: live your values, fight for justice, and never lose sight of the Gospel’s call to radical love. In 35 years of partnership with Elder Deborah Williams—and as father to their daughter, Desiree Rose—his ministry begins at home.
Thank you so much for joining us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your backstory?
I was raised in the church, but the call to ministry crystallized about thirty years ago out of the pain of disappointments and the small traumas that pile up when you desire something and it doesn’t happen. That experience forced me to refocus and ask whether I’d been centering my life on the wrong things. The Gospels opened my eyes to a simpler truth: the best way to handle your own life is to help someone else. In counseling others, I learned to counsel myself; it became an exercise in practicing what I preach.
What drew you from that call into a life of active ministry and leadership?
Pain became power when it was redirected into purpose. I stopped centering everything on me and started paying attention to the people around me, which changed how I served. Service taught me humility and discipline, and it reshaped my desires. Over time, bringing Sunday convictions into Monday life became the through line of my ministry.
You’ve been described as a “quiet leader.” How does that shape your approach?
Quiet leadership doesn’t forget where it came from. You carry the memory of your pain not to stay in it, but so it can be transformed into compassion and steadiness. Power isn’t about volume; it’s about character repeated over time. That approach keeps me grounded, less interested in the spotlight and more focused on service.
How did marriage and mentorship influence your growth?
My wife and I have walked together for 35 years in life and ministry, and that partnership has been foundational. I also had a spiritual father who guided me through missteps, because growth includes mistakes and the discipline to learn from them. I added formal education—a master’s in pastoral counseling and Christian ministry and theology at Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary—so study could sharpen experience. Writing helped me process what I learned and arrange it so others could follow the path.
The love story: how did you and your wife meet?
We met on Orchard Beach in the Bronx, almost like a blind date. At first, I didn’t think she liked me. A rainy day phone call offering her a ride home changed the dynamic, and we ended up spending time with family and simply enjoying each other’s company. From there, the conversations continued, and the relationship grew into marriage.
You’ve spoken about how our culture treats disappointment. What concerns you?
There’s a fairy tale that says, “I can have it all, and I can have it now; if I don’t, something must be wrong with the world.” That mindset shows up across generations and fuels finger-pointing when life says “not yet.” It keeps people from taking responsibility for their growth. It also makes patience and discipline seem outdated when they are exactly what we need.
What do you see in today’s public leadership that troubles you?
We’re confusing celebrity with service. Elected officials are civil servants, not performers, and they should serve with honor. The pull of social media tempts leaders to chase popularity rather than good governance. As the Honorable Elijah Muhammad said, the TV camera can be a powerful drug.
Why warn against “performance politics” and “performance pastoring”?
Because fame has become a currency, greed can fix on likes and followers just as easily as money. When optics outrun substance, manipulation replaces integrity. That spirit shows up in politics and the pulpit, reducing leadership to theatrics. It looks powerful, but it hollows out character.
Your forthcoming book releases on October 7, 2025: what lit the fuse for writing it?
Christianity saved my life and helped me become a better husband, father, employee, and citizen. Watching the faith degraded and people running from it because of how it’s represented has been heartbreaking. The book asks readers to consider what’s not normal about that drift. It drills down into the heart and invites a return to the Gospel’s center.
What key themes do you tackle in the book?
I examine old doctrines returning as new realities, including dominion theology and reconstructionist ideas about reshaping culture, medicine, law, and marriage. I look at identity theologies, “God and the gun” in Western-hemisphere Christianity, and the ways desire without discipline distorts witness; love of power, money, status, and pride. I address abortion, the Middle East, and recurring imperial and religious conflicts from the Crusades to modern times. The through line is how the human heart can hijack faith when it trades formation for control.
You cite C. S. Lewis on “the tyranny of the moral busybody.” What’s the message?
It’s the most dangerous tyranny because it torments with the approval of its own conscience… “I’m right to control you.” When patriotism, corporate power, and politics wrap themselves in Christendom, they claim dominion over how people live. That impulse feels righteous, but it isn’t the Gospel. The book names that impulse and points back to freedom of conscience under God.
You share your own health journey. What did it teach you about change?
I recently lost 53 pounds through consistent exercise, walking roughly 15 miles a week and cycling about 30, even in the Texas heat. I heard about a shot that can aid weight loss, but it doesn’t change your relationship with food. Real transformation begins in the mind; nothing changes if the mind doesn’t change. The discipline it takes in one area of life is the same discipline needed in thought and belief.
You call attention-seeking a “pandemic.” What do you mean?
We’ve left a biological pandemic but entered an attention pandemic—starving and dying for attention. Evil spreads through words and audio waves; constant messaging changes people’s speech, thought, and community. Not everyone with a voice needs a platform, especially if the aim is division. The hunger for visibility can become its own captivity.
How do you hold personal history alongside gratitude?
Liberation means not dragging yesterday’s chains into today. I acknowledge what I faced, and I also acknowledge God’s goodness; family, homes, decades of work, and ongoing ministry. I choose to live as an overcomer rather than center my identity in past injustice. That posture keeps me thankful and moving forward.
What’s your take on today’s influencer culture?
Much of it is duplicitous; performance over substance, and sexualization is used to sell. Claims are made without real expertise, and the addiction to followers pulls creators into deeper extremes. It harms audiences and creators alike. The method is attention, but the cost is truth.
Where should the change begin?
Start with what you can control… you. The Gospel slows life down and invites a “ministry of helps,” showing up quietly and consistently for people. Kindness begets kindness; charity begets charity, person to person. Big platforms can pull you off-mission; faithful presence keeps you on it.
What does healthy validation look like?
Validation comes from God, not the self-worship of constant performance. Seek regard through character, charity, and decency rather than spectacle. Maturity is the goal; as we grow up, it becomes easier to put away childish things. Often, the guides we need were always there; we finally see them only when we’re ready.
A lens for living: Is there a scripture that anchors you here?
Micah 6:8: Love mercy, do justice, and walk humbly with your God. Mercy, justice, and humility are not slogans; they’re a way of life. Imagine our public square if those three governed our choices. That vision remains both simple and demanding.
For those feeling restless and never at peace, what first step would you offer?
Ask yourself whether you’re sick and tired of chasing what never satisfies. Happiness without contentment will always slip away, and the hunt steals peace. Even in corporate life, “singing for your lunch” makes value depend on the last performance and turns competition into warfare. That breeds an appetite for hate; we don’t save each other—we point each other to the One who saves.
Your book releases on October 7, 2025. Where will people be able to find it?
It will be available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other online retailers—easy to locate with a simple search. This is also my first simultaneous audiobook release. For readers who prefer listening, the audio version will be ready alongside the print and digital formats. However you engage it, the goal is the same: clarity and conscience.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
My book, Christianity, The Other Political Party: The Hijacking of Faith will be available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.com. You’ll find paperback, Kindle, and audiobook options gathered there. The release date is October 7, 2025. You can also Google the title “Christianity, The Other Political Party: The Hijacking of Faith” to locate it across online book retailers.
Be sure to follow my socials on Facebook, Instagram @pastorowenwilliams, and TikTok @rev5983 to keep up with the drop of my book and any other endeavors life leads me on.
Pastor Owen, thank you for your wisdom, candor, and heart today. It’s been a gift to our readers and listeners.
Thank you for having me. I’m honored by the conversation and grateful for everyone who takes the time to listen and read. God bless you, and I look forward to returning.
