Rubén Ramos to Retire

Story by Nicole Dominguez

After serving at the Columbia Union Conference headquarters for 19 years and within the Columbia Union for 42 years, Rubén A. Ramos is retiring April 1.

In 1978, Ramos started working in Reading, Pa., as a literature evangelist and later a volunteer Bible worker in the Pennsylvania Conference. In 1985, he transitioned to being a church pastor and then as the director of Hispanic Ministries for the Potomac Conference where Ramos planted churches and fostered a culture of church planting and mission engagement among members for 22 years. 

During this time, he witnessed three Hispanic congregations in the Potomac Conference expand to almost 50 congregations, and then to 80, with more than 15,000 congregants.  

In 2007, Ramos became the assistant to the President for Multilingual Ministries at the Columbia Union, and in 2014, his role transitioned to vice president of the same department. Under Ramos’ leadership, the Columbia Union experienced amazing growth among multilingual congregations. By the end of 2024, multilingual congregations comprised 60,466 of the union’s 156,889 members. 

Ramos invested in building friendly relationships among leaders. His aim was simple: to facilitate a shift of church culture from maintenance to “a missional culture of personal engagement, small groups and church planting,” he says. “Working together creates a higher level of synergy and motivation. It also facilitates and makes sharing resources, materials and methodologies more effective.” 

Colleagues like Orlando J. Rosales, director of Chesapeake Conference’s Hispanic Ministries, says Ramos is “an experienced and dedicated administrator whose leadership is characterized by being helpful, kind and highly motivating. He consistently fosters a positive and productive environment among his team and collaborators. His strategic focus is unequivocally centered on his deep enthusiasm for evangelism, church growth and planting new congregations.”  

Ramos also planned initiatives to aid immigrant members in their cultural and logistical transition and organized “the financial and logistical support that facilitated exchanges between pastors and lay evangelists,” notes Rosales. “This action strategically strengthened evangelistic campaigns across the different conferences of our union by efficiently sharing resources and expertise.” 

Marcellus T. Robinson, president of the Columbia Union Conference, admits that this initiative has impacted him the most, saying, “Seeing Ruben engage local church, community and legal officials to work together to meet on a personal level with local immigrant community families to provide counsel, support, and advocacy to create a safe and healthy environment for their families in a time of social and political unrest in our country is powerful,” says Robinson.  

“Through it all, Ramos recognizes all glory must go to God. He says he’s enjoyed serving the Lord with “joy and determination” alongside his wife, Nora.   

He adds that one of his greatest satisfactions is to see his three children also involved in ministry. 

The years have passed so fast, and looking back, we are overwhelmed with so many reasons to be grateful to God,” says Ramos. “While ministry could sometimes be stressful and challenging, the blessings and joys are much more numerous. It is such an uplifting an experience to be part of God’s grace transforming lives.” 

Beyond his work, Ramos’ character has left a mark on his colleagues and constituents.  

Colleagues like Carlos Torres, the Family Ministries director  and Hispanic Ministries coordinator for the New Jersey Conference, benefited from these strong partnerships. 

Whenever pastors needed study materials, support for new projects, or funding, Ramos was able to come through for them, he says and recalls a time when they started a new congregation but didn’t have a baptismal tank. Ramos found a portable baptistry in Texas and brought it to New Jersey so the new believers could be baptized. 

“He's a tall guy,” Torres jokes that Ramos is like his stature—large, and even though Ramos is his boss, he feels he can still talk with him openly. “[Ruben] inspires me through his passion for evangelism. He sees people as candidates for the kingdom of God.” 

As he retires, Ramos encourages members to experience God’s transforming grace and participate in the mission. “Mission is God’s divine ‘shop’ where His spirit transforms our character into His likeness. … God has called us to help each one become a giver instead of just a ‘receiver.’”  

Ramos says that small groups and church planting are the most effective ways to foster engagement and personal and congregational growth—something he hopes will continue. “Let’s pray that an unstoppable wave of church multiplication may flood our communities and the whole world!”