R.E. Watts

Bishop Raymond E. Watts, PhD, is a gospel preacher, church leader, dedicated pastor, Bible teacher, conference speaker, author, real estate professional, accomplished businessman, electronic design engineer, college mathematics professor, husband, father, and grandfather.

​

He is the Senior Pastor of New Direction Church of God in Christ in Upland, California, where he has faithfully served the Lord for 45 years. Under his leadership, the church developed a citywide humanitarian ministry serving the underprivileged. This ministry provided housing assistance, job placement, and a structured lunch program that fed up to 300 people per day, five days per week. He also developed effective strategies for church growth through Sunday School, proving his theories by building one of the largest Sunday School churches in the Inland Empire of Southern California.

​

Under his leadership, church membership grew to approximately 1,800 members, and the church established a successful C H Mason Bible College. In 2007, the church purchased an abandoned building on the eastern border of Pomona, California, and renovated it into a beautiful 28,000 square foot church facility. This property became one of the largest churches in the city and provided a wide range of humanitarian services.

​

In 2019, Bishop Watts led the church in the purchase of the historic Downtown Grove Theater in Upland, California. The historic building was renovated into a dynamic church facility that supports in person and live stream worship, gospel music concerts, Christian education for children, downtown Upland evangelism, and family friendly movies for children and the community.

On November 14, 2006, Bishop Watts was inducted into the College of Bishops of the Church of God in Christ and consecrated by the late Bishop Gilbert E. Patterson as Jurisdictional Prelate of the California Southern Third Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction. He served in that role for ten years. Upon retirement from that position, he continues to serve the National Church of God in Christ as an Auxiliary Bishop and as Resident Bishop of the Southern California First Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction.

​

Bishop Watts holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering with an emphasis in biomedical and respiratory electronics from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. He earned a Master of Arts degree in Business Management from the University of Redlands, a Master of Arts degree in Religion, and a PhD in Church Administration from California Graduate School of Theology in Glendale, California. He has also received honorary Doctor of Divinity and Doctor of Theology degrees from Next Dimension University in Ontario, California.

​

He worked for many years in the aerospace industry and in research and development of respiratory products, as well as the design of electronic consumer products. He managed a top secret engineering design department of 32 engineers in Ontario, California, a team that pioneered military drone technology and developed some of the first anti radar detectable military drones in America.

He and his wife of 49 years, Dr. Anita Y. Watts, have been active business owners. Together they have owned three daycare centers serving more than 200 children, Chapel of Peace Funeral Home, a big rig trucking company, Watts Electronics specializing in respiratory product design and development, High Desert Real Estate Group, and several nonprofit organizations.

​

Bishop Watts has a deep passion for teaching God’s Word. His through the Bible, book by book teaching style is carefully outlined to help spiritually hungry believers draw closer to God. He is the author of many Christian eBooks that God continues to use to elevate biblical knowledge and spiritual passion among His people.