Pastor Joe A. Carter
Biographical Sketch
At the age of 9, Joe A. Carter accepted his calling to preach the unadulterated Word of God. At the age of 21, he preached on the greatest stage known to the Baptist church community, The National Baptist Convention. From that assignment, Joe A. Carter was introduced to the late Rev. Dr. Charles E. Thomas who was the pastor of The New Hope Baptist Church.
In 1993, at the age of 22, Joe A. Carter became the Assistant Pastor of The New Hope Baptist Church. In 2000, upon the retirement of the late Dr. Thomas, Joe A. Carter became the sixth and youngest pastor in the church’s 119-year history.
Pastor Carter has been instrumental in bridging the gap between the church and the community during his tenure at The New Hope Baptist Church.
Under Pastor Carter’s leadership, The New Hope Baptist Church and New Hope Now, our Community Development Corporation, have been able to provide resources to 25,000 clients annually. A ray of resources includes, but are not limited to, providing meals for the community, addiction referral services, anger management, court advocacy, parenting counseling (for men and women), and homelessness prevention.
In 2012, Pastor Carter established “Operation Recovery” to bring hope when Hurricane Sandy ravaged the East Coast by providing basic needs for over 200,000 individuals in the City of Newark and vicinity, as well as the State of New York.
In 2014, Pastor Carter, partnered with Governor Chris Christie and the State of New Jersey to help combat opioid and heroin addiction.
While the entire world was devastated by the coronavirus pandemic, Pastor Carter and The New Hope Baptist Church continued to provide goods and services to the community.
Pastor Carter says, “the problem with our communities, our nation and our world could be solved if we addressed the immediate and long-term needs of our children, who are the precious fruit of today and our hope for a brighter tomorrow.” He further stated, “that faith and community is what brings NEW HOPE to our future.”
In March of 2021, Pastor Carter married the love of his life, First Lady Monica A. Carter, RN.