Rev. Dr. Alise Barrymore

A proud mother, national lecturer, and global volunteer, the Reverend Dr. Alise D. Barrymore is also founding and lead pastor of the Emmaus Community, a suburban congregation where you can “belong before you believe.” Her commitment to developing experiences that embody creativity, multi-ethnic diversity, Christian tradition, and postmodern thought has been shared in the marketplace as well as in Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Baptist, Pentecostal, and other denominations. Whether mentoring college students in Thailand, facilitating home ownership in South Africa, or connecting neighbors in greater Chicago to needed resources, she seeks to journey with people, holding their hearts and hopes.

Dr. Alise graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor of Arts in African and African-American studies. She earned the Master of Divinity and the Doctor of Ministry degrees from McCormick Theological Seminary. She is a candidate in the inaugural cohort of the PhD program in Black Preaching and Sacred Rhetoric, under the direction of Rev. Frank A. Thomas, PhD. Her research interests are focused on postmodern spirituality and Black preaching in multi-ethnic ministry contexts.