Our Pastor

Pastor Ronald Slaughter, a native of Orlando, FL, an adopted son of Georgia, is the youngest pastor in history to serve as Senior Pastor of Saint James AME Church in Newark, NJ. On May 7, 2018, Pastor Slaughter earned his Doctor of Ministry Degree from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC.  In thirteen years of ministry at Saint James A.M.E. Church, more than 1,600 plus souls have been added to the kingdom; 98% of outstanding debt has been liquidated; and over half a million dollars has been invested in facility renovations and upgrades. Pastor Slaughter along with the great people of Saint James have been working to develop a family-oriented atmosphere, embracing the vision of God, and living out the Vision Statement of “Making Disciples, Building Families, and Meeting Needs.” 

In thirteen years of ministry at Saint James A.M.E. Church, more than 1,850 plus souls have been added to the kingdom; 98% of outstanding debt has been liquidated; and a million dollars has been invested in facility renovations and upgrades. Pastor Slaughter along with the great people of Saint James have been working to develop a family-oriented atmosphere, embracing the vision of God, and living out the Vision Statement of “Making Disciples, Building Families, and Meeting Needs.” In preparation to build the new Saint James Church and Transformative Center, Saint James has been busy acquiring properties surrounding the Newark Campus. Saint James has invested over 1.1 million dollars in acquiring six properties for its future facility. The properties were purchased without borrowing any money or obtaining a loan. Pastor Slaughter firmly believes with all of his heart in Acts 5:39 “But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these people; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”

Pastor Slaughter proudly serves on several boards such as Wesley Theological Seminary (Washington, DC); Turner Theological Seminary (Atlanta, GA); and Chair of St. Michael’s Medical Center Board (Newark, NJ) to name a few. On February 16, 2021, The Honorable Mayor Ras J. Baraka appointed Pastor Slaughter as the first-ever Deputy Director of Community Relations, a newly created civilian position within the Newark Police Division. On September 25, 2023, The Honorable Governor Phil Murphy appointed Pastor Slaughter as the Vice-Chairman of the New Jersey State Parole Board. Pastor Slaughter is also a proud member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.

In spite of all of his wonderful accomplishments, Pastor Slaughter admits that without a loving, supportive, and understanding family, none of this would be possible. He is eternally grateful and extremely appreciative of his wife, Kyla Trinette Brown Slaughter, and their children: Kellyn
Skyla, Kylynn Rona, and Ronald Levant “R2.”

According to Pastor Slaughter, God has done all of this to prove that He can use someone who remains “a work in progress.” Pastor Slaughter believes with all his heart that “the best in Christ Jesus is yet to come!”