|
Louisville, KY - May 20, 2024 – Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary (LPTS) is pleased to announce the appointment of Rev. Dr. Perzavia T. Praylow as the Director of Black Church Studies (BCS) and Assistant Professor of Practical Theology, effective July 1, 2024.
Rev. Dr. Praylow joins Louisville Seminary from Howard University School of Divinity, where she served as the Director of Contextual Theology (Washington, DC). She is a minister of Word and Sacrament ordained in the Presbyterian Church (USA) serving in the bounds of National Capital Presbytery. She holds a Ph.D. in African American History, a Master of Arts in History, and a Master of Arts in Education Policy from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Additionally, she earned a Master of Divinity degree from Columbia Theological Seminary, a Master of Sacred Theology from Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Drew University. Dr. Praylow’s scholarship and research focuses on the history of the Black Church and Black Education. She has previously taught African American history at numerous colleges and universities over the past twelve years.
Dr. Debra J. Mumford, Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the Seminary, expressed her enthusiasm for the new appointment, stating, “We are excited and privileged to have Dr. Praylow join our community. Her collegiality, academic credentials, administrative and pastoral experience combine to make her the ideal person to move our Black Church Studies Program forward into a new and exciting era.”
A native of Jersey City, NJ, Dr. Praylow’s ecumenical commitments are evidenced in the denominational diversity of the congregations she has served as pastor including Fifteenth Street Presbyterian Church and Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ both in Washington D.C. and Calvary Presbyterian Church in Winnsboro, South Carolina. She was previously ordained as an elder and minister in the Church of the Living God in Champaign, IL and served as a lay leader in Baptist Churches in New Jersey and Augusta, GA. Tabernacle Baptist Church in Augusta, Georgia.
Commenting on her new role, Dr. Praylow said, "I'm thankful for this opportunity to join the Louisville Seminary community and to contribute to the rich history of the Black Church Studies program. My call to LPTS is an opportunity to further form and equip leaders in church and society while producing research that will transform how we embody the liberatory and prophetic witness and praxis of the Black Church. I look forward to our shared ministry."
Rev. Dr. Andrew Pomerville, President of Louisville Seminary, also welcomed Dr. Praylow, stating, “The experience and expertise Dr. Praylow brings to our faculty is tremendous. She is an accomplished educator and researcher, and I am delighted to welcome her to LPTS.”
With her distinguished background and dedication to theological education and the Black Church tradition, Rev. Dr. Praylow is set to make a significant impact at Louisville Seminary and beyond.
| 
