Because of his faithfulness and diligence in ministry, Archbishop Owens was consecrated a Bishop in the Mt. Calvary Holy Church of America, Inc. in 1988, and was appointed as the Vice Bishop in 2001. In 2008, the year of New Beginnings, Bishop Owens was elevated to the position of Presiding Prelate and Senior Bishop of the Mt. Calvary Holy Church of America, Inc., and was enthroned to that position on August 20, 2009. In 2021, he retired from the Position as Presiding Prelate and now holds emeritus status with Mt. Calvary Holy Church Of America, Inc. Throughout his 50 plus years of serving in ministry, he served as the Dean of the Joint College of African-American Pentecostal Bishops from 2000 – 2020, on August 20, 2009, he was elevated to the esteemed position of Archbishop and Vice Regent of the Joint College. He also served as an Adjunct Professor at Howard University School of Divinity, where he taught classes in the field of Homiletics and Church Leadership and Administration.

Because of Archbishop Owens’ sincere belief that the ministry of the church must stretch beyond the four walls of the sanctuary, Greater Mt. Calvary Holy Church has remained on the cutting edge of relevant ministry within the community. Under the pastorate of Bishop Owens, an alcohol/drug abuse program was established, named Calvary’s Alternative to Alcohol and Drug Abuse (CATAADA HOUSE); the church also operates, The Susie Elizabeth Crowder Owens Empowerment Center which houses both a food and clothing bank, and several other outreach and social service ministries, which is an extension of the Bishop Alfred A. Owens, Jr., Family Life Community Center. For 35 plus years, there was a Calvary Christian Academy, which educated children from infants to the eighth grade. Additionally, Greater Mt. Calvary Holy Church was one of the first ministries in the nation’s capital with an HIV/AIDS Ministry that provided counseling and medical assistance to those in need. As an advocate for higher education, Archbishop founded Calvary Bible Institute in 1988, which combines quality education with biblical teaching, producing Christian leaders who will make a difference. Through a divine partnership with Lancaster Bible College and Capital Seminary and Graduate School, Calvary Bible Institute offers Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral degrees, since 2016.

Archbishop Owens’ preaching ministry has caused him to travel extensively across the United States and to such foreign territories as Africa, Canada, England, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, and the West Indies. He is the instrument the Lord used for the Mt. Calvary Holy Church to be located in California, Florida, Illinois, Texas, London, Trinidad, Jamaica, Ghana, and India. In addition to his extensive travel, He is also the author of Sermons for a Victorious Life, and Help Thou My Unbelief. His autobiography, Doing Good in the Hood: The Life, Legacy and Leadership, of Bishop Alfred A. Owens, Jr., was co-authored by Dr. Barbara Reynolds and released in 2007.

​Archbishop Owens shares the pastorate of Greater Mt. Calvary Holy Church with his wife of 50 plus years, Co-Pastor, Dr. Susie Carol Thomas Owens. He attributes much of his success to his wife and sainted mother, Susie Elizabeth Crowder Owens. A survivor of society’s statistics himself, Bishop Owens returns his gifts, education, and wisdom through the gift of mentorship. In the Mount Calvary Holy Church of America, Inc., he is not only a leader, but a mentor to pastors and young men. He has extended himself to impart and coach men who might otherwise not have anyone to look up to. He and his wife have been responsible for the care and nurture of 18 foster sons and daughters who have shared in their home, and they are the natural parents of Alfred Thomas and Kristel Moneek. They also have seven grandsons: Nathan, Darian, Nicholas, William, Kaiden, Kiyson, and Karter; and one granddaughter, Keiress. At the age of 76 his life motto remains, if I can help someone as I pass along – then, my living will not be in vain.