Seven Questions Plus One

1. Who are you, and where are you working-from these days? 

My name is Rev. Perzavia Praylow, PhD and I’m an ordained Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). I serve as Assistant Professor of Historical Theology and Director of Black Church Studies at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, where I also lead the Black Church Cornerstone Collaborative. I’m a historian, practical theologian, and teacher-scholar, and I see myself as called to serve at the intersection of teaching, scholarship and the practical ministry work of equipping religious leaders and congregations to live out their missional callings. 

2. What’s the lifelong learning initiative you lead? 

At LPTS, I develop and lead transformational lifelong learning programs that equip current students, alumnae, and wider communities for leadership in church and society.

Through the Black Church Studies Program, I convene intentional learning opportunities for religious leaders serving in Black faith contexts as well as those seeking to strengthen their engagement with social justice and intercultural ministry. Signature offerings include the annual Black Church Studies Consultation Conference, the Edwards Lecture on social justice and peacemaking, the Katie Geneva Cannon Womanist Theology Conference, and the Black Faith Virtual Talk series—forums that foster dialogue on the present and future thriving of the Black Church. 

As Grant Director of the Black Church Cornerstone Collaborative, an initiative stewarded within the Black Church Studies Program, I lead a dedicated staff team in developing cohorts, webinars, leadership summits, and a micro-grants program that empowers leaders serving in Black rural and small-town communities. Together, these efforts reflect my commitment to equipping and encouraging leaders for vibrant ministry and faithful service. 

3. Who is served by your initiative?  

Black faith clergy and lay leaders, congregations, and faith-based organizations serving in diverse Black religious contexts (urban, rural, and small-town), as well as ministry leaders interested in learning from the history, theology, and witness of the Black Church.  

4. What’s an “Aha!” moment you’ve had while doing this work? 

An “Aha!” moment that stands out for me is realizing that the history, theology, and witness of the Black Church is instructive, helping all faith leaders to live into being and becoming the “Beloved Community,” as articulated by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. To be and to become a Beloved Community of faith means that faith and action are bound together, shaping the way we embody faith-inspired leadership. 

5. If people wanted to mine your expertise on something related to lifelong learning, what should they ask you about? 

   
   

I am deeply committed to creating lifelong learning opportunities that empower congregations and faith-based organizations to live out their missional call and use my scholarship to further that work. My research explores 20th-century race relations, American religious history, African American social equality, and the history of education. My current book project, Carrying the Load: Black Presbyterian Women and Mission in the Rural South, recovers the untold stories of Black women who shaped mission and ministry in overlooked contexts. A second project, Fisk University, Black Colleges, and the Socialization of Students for Race Leadership Since Reconstruction, examines how historically Black colleges cultivated leaders for the work of justice and social change.  

6. What do you think will be different in the future of lifelong learning? 

In the future, lifelong learning will have to be responsive to religious leaders serving in diverse contexts broader than parish/congregational ministry contexts.  Second, I also think that lifelong learning programs will continue to evolve as a significant contributor and entry point into Theological higher education. 

7. How can people get in touch with you?  

I can be reached via email or regular mail at Louisville Seminary. 

Email address:  ppraylow@lpts.edu 

If you weren’t leading a lifelong learning program, what would you be doing? 

If I weren’t serving as a professor or a director of lifelong learning programs and initiatives, I’d be serving as a pastor engaged in local congregational ministry. Regardless of how I serve, I am passionate about teaching, scholarship, preaching, mentoring, coaching, and equipping leaders and congregations for religious leadership.