Historian | Theological Educator | Author | Preacher | Speaker

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The Rev. Dr. Perzavia T. Praylow is a historian, theological educator, author, preacher, pastor, and ordained Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Her vocational work brings together scholarship, theological education, ministry, leadership development, and a longstanding commitment to encouraging, equipping, and empowering individuals and communities.

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Dr. Praylow serves at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary as:

• Assistant Professor of Historical Theology and Black Church Studies

• Director of Black Church Studies

• Director of the Black Church Cornerstone Collaborative

 

Through these interconnected roles, she teaches and mentors students, provides academic and programmatic leadership for Black Church Studies, develops programs connecting the seminary, church, and community, and leads initiatives designed to strengthen Black congregations and equip their leaders.

 

Trained as both a historian and theological educator, Dr. Praylow's scholarship centers African American religious history, Black Church history, Black women's religious leadership, race and religion in the United States, Black Presbyterian history, religious institutions and education, and the long Black freedom movement. Her work is particularly attentive to the ways Black religious communities, institutions, women, students, clergy, and lay leaders have created strategies for mission, leadership, survival, resistance, and social transformation.

 

Dr. Praylow is the author of two forthcoming books under contract.

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Her first book, Carrying the Load: Black Presbyterian Women and Mission in the American South, is under contract with Westminster John Knox Press. The project examines the historical experiences, theological perspectives, and mission practices of Black Presbyterian women, giving particular attention to their contributions to church, mission, and community life. The full manuscript is due in 2027, with publication anticipated in Spring 2028, pending progress and the press's publication schedule.

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Her second book, Fisk University Students, Race Leadership, and the Black Freedom Movement, 1866–2024, is under contract with the University of North Carolina Press. The book explores Fisk University and generations of its students within the history of race leadership and the long Black freedom movement. The full manuscript is due April 29, 2029, with publication anticipated in Summer/Fall 2030, pending progress and the press's publication schedule.

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Dr. Praylow earned the Ph.D. in American History from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and has pursued extensive interdisciplinary preparation in history, education, and theological studies. Her academic formation equips her to engage questions at the intersections of history, theology, religion, education, race, gender, leadership, and social change.

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Beyond the classroom and her scholarly research, Dr. Praylow is an experienced preacher, pastor, lecturer, speaker, consultant, and leadership coach. She has served congregations and communities in multiple ministry contexts and continues to preach, teach, lecture, and facilitate conversations with churches, educational institutions, and community organizations.

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Whether through scholarship, teaching, preaching, ministry, or leadership development, Dr. Praylow seeks to help individuals and communities understand the histories that have shaped them, recognize the resources they already possess, and faithfully imagine transformative possibilities for the future.