Rev. Rob Newells-Newton

Robert Earl Newells-Newton (born August 29, 1970) is a strategic program management professional, Marine Corps veteran, and ordained minister whose life and work sit at the intersection of public health, faith, and LGBTQ+ advocacy. For over two decades, he has led initiatives focused on health equity and HIV services while working to dismantle oppressive theological structures within the Black Church.

Raised in Deep East Oakland, California, Newells-Newton grew up in a household deeply connected to the Black Power movement. His father was a member of the Black Panther Party, and his mother attended radical educational lectures at Merritt College, fostering an early environment of political consciousness. This was balanced by the spiritual grounding of his grandmother, who ensured the family remained connected to religious communities. His early religious life included joining the Emmanuel Church of Christ (Holiness) in Oakland and later St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church in Berkeley. During these formative years, he first embraced the theological anchor that would guide his later ministry: "God don't make no junk."

After graduating from high school in 1988, Newells-Newton served in the United States Marine Corps during an era of absolute suppression regarding sexual identity. Following his military service, he attended the University of Southern California (USC), where the academic freedom of campus life allowed him the space to begin coming out in 1996.

His formal theological journey was deeply influenced by mentorship and specialized study. He pursued theological education through Pacific School of Religion (PSR) and the Black Theology and Leadership Institute (BTLI) at Princeton Theological Seminary, where he earned a Certificate in Theology and Ministry in 2017. During his time at PSR, he was advised and mentored by Rev. Dr. Horace Griffin, whose scholarship on Black queer theology provided a critical framework for Newells-Newton’s own ministerial identity.

Newells-Newton has maintained a distinguished career in public health executive leadership, bridging the gap between clinical operations and community advocacy:

• AIDS Project of the East Bay (APEB): Served as Executive Director, where he integrated health services with social justice;
• Black AIDS Institute (BAI): Served as Director of National Programs; and
• UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland: Currently serves as the HIV Services Coordinator for the Infectious Diseases Pediatric HIV/AIDS Program.

A central component of his professional work has been presenting on the intersection of faith and HIV at national forums. He has been a frequent presenter at the United States Conference on HIV/AIDS (USCHA), highlighting the role of faith communities in ending the epidemic.

Diagnosed with HIV in 2005, Newells-Newton’s professional work became inextricably linked to his lived experience. In 2007, he joined Imani Community Church in Oakland, an Afrocentric congregation that would later become the site of his licensing and ordination.

He became a key figure in regional and national LGBTQ+ religious movements through several pivotal roles:

• Bay Area Coalition of Welcoming Congregations: Participated in regional efforts to foster inclusive worship spaces;
• African American Roundtable (AART): Collaborated with Rev. Dr. Roland Stringfellow and the AART at the Pacific School of Religion to advance Black LGBTQ+ religious scholarship and leadership;
• Souls A’Fire Conferences: A consistent participant and voice at these national gatherings focused on Black Queer Theology, attending major sessions in Oakland and Houston; and
• East Bay HIV Faith Collaborative: Led local efforts to organize clergy across denominations to engage in social justice and health equity work.

Newells-Newton was licensed to preach in 2012 and received local ordination from Imani Community Church in 2018, supported by a council of local Black clergy who affirmed his call. He currently serves as an Associate Minister at Imani and has been a recurring guest lecturer for the "Queering Religion" course at the University of San Francisco since 2017.

He is married to Brandon Newton; their 2021 wedding in Cancun was blessed by a transgender male minister and fellow veteran, symbolizing his commitment to a "wholeness" that rejects the fragmentation of identity.

Rob's publications include: a chapter exploring spiritual trauma and "church hurt" in the volume, Struggling in Good Faith (2015): and the author of Faith, Not Fear: A Path to Boldness in a World of Anxieties (2025), which addresses overcoming anxiety through a faith grounded in divine love rather than human prejudice.

(This biographical statement provided by Rob Newells-Newton.)

Biography Date: April 2026

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