Donald D. Owens is a minister and emeritus general superintendent

General Superintendent (Church of the Nazarene)

General Superintendent is the highest elected office within the Church of the Nazarene. General Superintendents are elected by the General Assembly of the denomination for a four year term to expire at the end of the next General Assembly....

 in the Church of the Nazarene

Church of the Nazarene

The Church of the Nazarene is an evangelical Christian denomination that emerged from the 19th century Holiness movement in North America with its members colloquially referred to as Nazarenes. It is the largest Wesleyan-holiness denomination in the world. At the end of 2010, the Church of the...

. He has planted a church in the US, established the Church of the Nazarene in Korea, been a professor, founded a seminary in the Philippines and served as the leader of the Church of the Nazarene for most of a decade.

While a member of the US Army from 1945 to 1946 Donald was stationed in the Philippines and Japan. He earned a B.A. in 1951 and his Bachelors of Theology in 1952. In 1968 he founded the Lake Overholser Church in Bethany Oklahoma . In 1970 he earned an M.A. in 1970 and his Ph.D. in 1975 from the University of Oklahoma. Donald served as a missionary pastor to South Korea

South Korea

The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...

, where he established the Church of the Nazarene. He was also a professor at Nazarene Theological Seminary

Nazarene Theological Seminary

Nazarene Theological Seminary is a Christian seminary affiliated with the Church of the Nazarene. It is located in Kansas City, Missouri, which was formerly also the location of the headquarters of the Church of the Nazarene...

 in Kansas City, Missouri

Kansas City, Missouri

Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...

. In addition he was the founding president of Asia-Pacific Nazarene Theological Seminary

Asia-Pacific Nazarene Theological Seminary

Asia-Pacific Nazarene Theological Seminary is a graduate-level theological institution located near Metro Manila in the Philippines. APNTS is a seminary in the Wesleyan theological tradition and affiliated with the Church of the Nazarene through its Division of World Mission...

 in Manila

Manila

Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...

 and the president of MidAmerica Nazarene College

MidAmerica Nazarene University

MidAmerica Nazarene University is a Christian liberal arts college in Olathe, Kansas. It was established in 1966 by the Church of the Nazarene.-History:Mid-America Nazarene College was founded in 1966...

 (now University) in Olathe, Kansas

Olathe, Kansas

Olathe is a city in and the county seat of Johnson County, Kansas, United States. Located in northeastern Kansas, it is also the fifth most populous city in the state, with a population of 125,872 at the 2010 census. As a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, Olathe is the fourth-largest city in the...

 from 1985 to 1989.

At the 1989 General Assembly Owens was elected to the highest office in the Church of the Nazarene. He served two terms being re-elected in 1993 until he retired in 1997.