The Right Rev. Emilio Alvarez, Ph.D.
Bishop Emilio Alvarez is one of the up-and-coming scholars and commentators on the intersection of religious education and theology in America. As a ministerial practitioner, his vast experience within the Christian Church world-wide has positioned him as a prophetic voice, especially within Afro/Latino communities of faith.
A widely sought lecturer and preacher, Bishop Alvarez has traveled to nearly a dozen countries preaching and teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ and has worked diligently planting churches for over 20 years. As an educator Bishop Alvarez has presented academic papers at various theological seminaries, universities, associations and conferences including Georgetown University, Asbury Theological, The American Academy of Religion and The Religious Education Association. He also has a strong track record of developing course curriculums and ministerial educational programs for theological seminaries and Bible colleges alike. He is the founding director of the Institute for Paleo-Orthodox Christian Studies (formerly the certificate in Convergence Studies Program at New York Theological Seminary), a program which trains clergy and laity alike in Christian classical consensual faith and practice.
As a proponent for Christian unity, Bishop Alvarez has served in various ecumenical capacities, developing strong ecumenical relations around the world with clerics from a variety of Christian traditions. In 2014, Bishop Alvarez was honored to have been invited along with other clergy members to the Vatican in Rome, to an audience with Pope Francis around the theme, “The Miracle of Unity,” and served as the official translator for the meeting.
Bishop Alvarez was consecrated a Bishop in the Lord’s Church in 2011. From 2015-2019 bishop Alvarez served as the Chaplain/Religious Service Specialist for the Department of Homeland Security at the Buffalo Federal Detention Facility. Currently, he serves as the Primate of the Union of Charismatic Orthodox Churches. A Christian Union which reverences the historic Christian faith and practice of the early church while striving to become relevant within postmodernity. He is also the founder and Rector of The Cathedral at Gathering Place in the city of Rochester, New York.
Bishop Alvarez holds a Bachelors in Christian Education, a Master of Arts in Religious Education from New York Theological Seminary, a Ph.D. in Religious Education from Fordham University in the Bronx, New York and is currently pursuing a second Ph.D. in Divinity at Aberdeen University under the supervision of the Very Rev. Dr. John Behr. He is a member of the Religious Education Association and has been awarded both Kappa Phi Kappa as well as Alpha Sigma Nu, the highest academic honor bestowed in any Jesuit university or college. Bishop Alvarez has a forthcoming book with InterVaristy Press Pentecostal Orthodoxy: Toward an Ecumenism of the Spirit (2021) and is also a contributor to the forthcoming IVP liturgical series, The Fullness of Time: A Journey Through the Church Year (2022).
