Emilio Alvarez | |
---|---|
Archbishop and Primate of the Union of Charismatic Orthodox Churches | |
Church | Union of Charismatic Orthodox Churches |
Orders | |
Consecration | 2011 |
Personal details | |
Born | Emilio Alvarez Jr. January 16 |
Occupation | Pastor, author, professor |
Education | New York Theological Seminary Fordham University Aberdeen University |
Emilio Alvarez (born January 16) is a religious leader in the United States, and founding bishop of the Union of Charismatic Orthodox Churches. He is also the founding director of the Institute for Paleo-Orthodox Christian Studies (formerly the certificate in Convergence Studies Program at New York Theological Seminary).[1][2]
Emilio Alvarez—born Emilio Alvarez Jr.—was reared in a Holiness-Pentecostal household, within the Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee); he is the son of a bishop within the denomination. As a minister within the Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee), Alvarez transitioned into the Convergence Movement after questioning his childhood denomination's anti-Catholicism.[3]
In 2011, Alvarez was consecrated to the episcopacy as a bishop for the Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches. He was invited to attend an audience with Pope Francis in 2014; Alvarez served as official translator for the meeting, themed, "The Miracle of Unity".[4][5][6]
In July 2019, Alvarez helped establish the Union of Charismatic Orthodox Churches within Painted Post, New York. He was unanimously elected as its interim presiding prelate, before being appointed primate.[7] During his prelature in December 2020, he was hosted by Archbishop Elpidophoros of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.[8]
In 2021, he was installed as archbishop and primate for the Union of Charismatic Orthodox Churches.[7]
In 2022, Alvarez published Pentecostal Orthodoxy: Toward an Ecumenism of the Spirit through InterVarsity Press.[9][10][3] He became an associate provost at Asbury Theological Seminary,[11] relocating from Rochester, New York where he pastored The Cathedral at The Gathering Place.[12]