Rev. Dennis M. Oglesby, Jr. is an ordained elder and member in full connection of the Minnesota Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church and serves as the Senior Pastor of Park Avenue UMC in Minneapolis, MN. Prior to this appointment, Pastor Oglesby served as Senior Associate and Minister to the City at Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church where he established the Hennepin Avenue UMC Dignity Center, an outreach ministry that continues to serve the needs of the poor and disenfranchised. Believing to whom much is given, much is required, Rev. Oglesby seeks to make a difference in the world through his preaching, his leadership abilities and through community service.
Rev. Oglesby is a product of the Black Methodist movement in the Northern Illinois Conference of the United Methodist Church where he was ordained deacon and elder respectively. He served as Pastor of Sherman United Methodist Church in Evanston, Illinois from 1991-1997 and Faith United Methodist Church in Dolton, Illinois from 1997 through 2000. Rev. Oglesby has served as a member of the Minnesota Annual Conference Board of Ordained Ministry as Conference Relations Chair, and as the Chair of the Religion and Race Action Team. Pastor Oglesby currently serves as a member of the Twin Cities District Committee on the Superintending and as a member of the Board of Directors for the United Methodist Publishing House in Nashville, Tennessee. He also serves as a consultant and strategist for the General Commission on Religion and Race in Washington, DC.
Pastor Oglesby has been a committed member of the North Central Jurisdiction of Black Methodist for Church Renewal having served as Chair of Evangelism, member of the Management Team and as Chair from 2004-2006. He has served as a member of the Board of Directors for national BMCR, Inc, and was elected Vice Chair in 2006 and served in that capacity through 2009. Oglesby was inducted as a Life and Harry Hosier Member of the organization as well.
His community service is reflected in his participation as President of Park Avenue Youth and Family Services and as Vice Chair of the Halle Q. Brown, Inc., Board of Directors in St. Paul. He has served as a Board member of the Neighborhood Involvement Project, the Center for Urban Education for Hamline University, the African American Men’s Project of Hennepin County and is a member of the Epsilon Rho Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc, where he has been a member for 30 years.
Pastor Oglesby earned his Master’s of Divinity from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary (GETS) in Evanston, Illinois. In May of 2011 the Board of Directors of GETS named Pastor Oglesby as Distinguished Alumna of the Year. He received his Bachelor of Art in Mass Communications from Rust College in Holly Springs, Mississippi.
Pastor Oglesby’s professional experiences include Human Resources, Research and Program Development, Public Housing Management, Training/group facilitation and Youth Leadership Development. Pastor Oglesby has also served as an adjunct faculty member of St. Mary’s University in Minneapolis in the school of Business and Information Technology.
He is married to Greta Oglesby, awarding winning actress and vocalist and together they share in the parenting of their two children, Meghann Dominique and Chase Michael.
