About
Kevin M. Bowen is an evangelical pastor who holds his ministerial credentials in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). The PCA was home to Francis Schaeffer, D. James Kennedy, James Montgomery Boice and, RC Sproul while currently, Tim Keller is probably the most recognizable PCA minister to the greater evangelical community.
Kevin didn’t always move in those circles, however. He was born in Ridgewood, New Jersey to a family with Roman Catholic roots. His father’s service with the US Navy allowed him to live in a number of wonderful places when he was a young boy including Virginia, Alaska, and Florida. Then his parents divorced in 1972 and his mother took five children, ages 10-2, back to New Jersey. Kevin was the oldest and the changes in his life didn’t come easy. He was very close to his father and the pain of his dad’s exit took many years to heal. In 1977, he settled in with an aunt and uncle who put him through high school and tolerated his teenage angst.
After graduating from St. Joseph’s High School (now Monsignor Donovan) in Toms River, NJ, he attended Ocean Community College, and struck out in 1982 at the age of 20 to establish a sales career. Growing up Roman Catholic and going to parochial schools gave him a religious background. However, God used an encounter with a born-again believer to show Kevin the reality of his personal sin; in October 1983 Kevin placed his salvation completely in the hands of Jesus Christ.
By 1988, Kevin had become convinced that Covenant Theology and the Reformed expression of Christianity best matched the biblical doctrines of grace and the sovereignty of God. So, he headed off to Grand Rapids, Michigan, to attend Reformed Bible College (now Kuyper College) to complete his degree, which he earned in 1990. Kevin then studied English and Literature–his first academic loves– at Grand Valley State University and Middle Tennessee State University with the intention of earning a doctorate in that field. From 1990-1994 he was a social worker within the criminal justice system in Michigan. Then from 1994-1996 he worked in group homes in Nashville, helping disadvantaged youths.
But why the move to Tennessee? To get married, of course! He’d met his wife, Ruthann, in 1986. Yes, it took them eight years to figure out God’s will for them but they both agree it was worth the wait.
In 1996, God made it clear to Kevin that the excursions in English studies and social work were interludes to his true calling. That year, Kevin and Ruthann moved to St. Louis so he could attend Covenant Theological Seminary and earn his Master of Divinity degree, which he completed in 2000.
Kevin was a ministerial intern at Heritage Presbyterian Church in Wildwood, MO from 1997-2000, and eventually became that church’s first Associate Pastor. In 2002, he accepted a call to Middlesex Presbyterian Church in Butler, Pennsylvania. He is currently in his 18th year as the solo pastor.
Kevin’s passion is to help Christians understand that they are God’s elect, adopted children and to equip them with the necessary knowledge to conquer the world for Christ.
