Reverend Dr. Alyn E. Waller
Reverend Dr. Alyn E. Waller is the Senior Pastor of the Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A highly sought-after revivalist, vocalist, and lecturer, Dr. Waller is a true visionary of the church and the community who serves humanity far beyond the restraints of traditionalism. His partner in marriage and ministry is Dr. Ellyn Jo Waller, the leader of Enon’s Women’s Ministry and a devoted mother to their two daughters, Elynn Morgan and Eryka Lynn.
Since 1994, God’s anointing on Dr. Waller’s pastorate at Enon has been evidenced with unprecedented spiritual and numerical growth. In July 2006, Enon became “one church in two locations” with the development of a new church campus, which includes a 5000-seat sanctuary, a chapel, a computer lab, classrooms, a Family Life Center (for banquets, a summer sports camp and ministry events), and a “big backyard” for the youth ministry to participate in competitive team sports. To serve a congregation of over 15,000 members, Enon holds three weekend worship services (with internet live-streaming), multiple prayer opportunities, and three weekly Bible studies at Enon and Center City Philadelphia. Dr. Waller draws on his love for people to shape God’s vision for Enon, “A Place Where People Encounter God,” through over 75 innovative ministries. Enon regularly hosts various community awareness events and health and wellness initiatives that offer AIDS testing and other critical health screenings.
Dr. Waller’s outreach extends far beyond the walls of Enon through local community activism and radio, television, and social media commentary. Internationally, he serves as the President of the Lott Carey Global Christian Missional Community and, through Enon, has established church locations throughout South Africa. Also, Dr. Waller has preached in South Korea to over 100,000 persons and has presented at an Oxford University roundtable on religious theory.
The heart of Dr. Waller’s ministry can be felt through his musical gifts. In 2004, Dr. Waller released his CD, “With His Permission” and has supported various Enon CD music projects. In 2015, Enon and Pastor Waller founded the Enon Music Group record label and released, “Dr. Alyn E. Waller Presents Enon Tabernacle The Experience.” Additionally, Dr. Waller has opened for Mary Mary, the Clark Sisters, and Fred Hammond, and has headlined the “Celebration of Gospel” at the Mann Music Center (Philadelphia).
A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Dr. Waller earned a B.S. in Music Business from Ohio University, an M.Div. from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; a D.Min. in Ministry to Marriage and Family from Palmer Theological Seminary, and an honorary doctorate from Lincoln University. Dr. Waller served previously as Minister of Music at Canaan Missionary Baptist Church (Louisville, KY) and Senior Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Donora (PA). He is the author of Enjoy Your Journey: Our Quest for a Deeper Relationship with Christ (2006) and Hope for the Journey: Believing God is Enough When the Road Gets Rough (2011).
Follow Pastor Waller: www.facebook.com/dralynewaller and www.twitter.com/dralynewaller.
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Ministry at Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church
In July 1994, the Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church called Dr. Waller to lead them as their Senior Pastor. God’s anointing on Dr. Waller’s pastorate has been evidenced with unprecedented spiritual and numerical growth. As a result of this growth, in July 2006, Enon became “one church in two locations.” Enon purchased 34 acres of land to construct a new church edifice, which includes a 5000-seat sanctuary, a chapel, a computer lab, a bookstore, dozens of classrooms and offices, and a Family Life Center for banquets, athletics and ministry events.
Today, Enon holds three weekend worship services, including live-streaming one service on the internet, to serve a congregation of over 15,000 members. In addition to worship, the Word of God and prayer are central to Enon’s ministry. Dr. Waller teaches two weekly Bible studies at Enon and the “Hour of Power” lunch hour Bible study in Center City Philadelphia. Prayer opportunities include two prayer meetings each day at the church locations and a daily, early morning prayer-line led by Dr. Waller and the Prayer Ministry team.
Dr. Waller draws on his love for people to shape God’s vision for Enon: “A Place Where People Encounter God.” With over 75 ministries that focus on discipleship, fellowship, missions & evangelism, and worship, Dr. Waller’s arms stretch wide to touch the needs of people who come to church and those who do not. Some of the innovative, impactful ministries that Dr. Waller has developed at Enon include Sexual Abuse Survivors, Domestic Abuse Survivors, and Cancer Survivors. Enon regularly hosts various health and wellness events which offer AIDS testing and other critical health screening.
Dr. Waller has a passion for the development of youth. Enon utilizes a majority of its land surrounding the church as a “big backyard” for the churches’ youth ministry to participate in various competitive teams, such as cheerleading, football, basketball, baseball, track, and soccer. Additionally, among other youth-focused ministries, Dr. Waller provides direction to Enon’s Scholarship Ministry, which provides scholarships and stipends to dozens of students each year.
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Community Outreach
Dr. Waller’s community outreach extends far beyond the walls of Enon. He previously has carried his teaching ministry to the airwaves by providing a daily “Inspirational Moment” to two Philadelphia radio stations, www.wdas.com and www.power99.com. He continues to carry the Gospel message through social media.
Responding to the specific needs of the local community, in 1997, Dr. Waller led Enon’s membership to establish the Enon-Coulter Community Development Corporation (ECCDC), a non-profit entity that provides educational and support services to children and families. Today, under Dr. Waller’s leadership, the ECCDC sponsors a Christian summer sports camp and a Christian bookstore.
Recently, Dr. Waller has taken an active role in the Philadelphia School District restructuring. As a voice for the children of Philadelphia, Enon has hosted town hall meetings and sponsored other efforts to support the education of our children. Historically, Dr. Waller and Enon have put feet to the Gospel by assisting in the renovation of the Germantown High School library and, for several years, sponsoring the music program of the Martin Luther King High School. In his spare time, Dr. Waller is the assistant wrestling coach for the Martin Luther King High School.
Dr. Waller is involved with numerous service organizations and has been awarded countless honors for his leadership throughout the Philadelphia area. Currently, he serves as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts and Eastern University. Among his many honors, Dr. Waller has received the Young Minister’s Award from Upscale Magazine and the Most Influential African American Award from the Philadelphia Tribune.
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International Outreach
Enon has partnered with various sister churches on the mission field. Currently, Dr. Waller serves as the First Vice-President of the Lott Carey Foreign Mission Convention.
Dr. Waller’s international focus is the African continent. From 2007 to today, Dr. Waller has led various mission teams in revivals in Kenya, Uganda and South Africa. These Enon teams have participated in the financial and physical support to build a water tower in Kenya, assist an orphanage in Uganda, and build houses and churches in South Africa.
Dr. Waller and Enon have established a deep relationship with Christian brothers and sisters in South Africa. In 2009, Dr. Waller installed the Reverend Jacobus Nomdoe as the Pastor of Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church, Western Cape, South Africa. Over the years, Enon (United States) and Enon (South Africa) have engaged in numerous missionary and ministry opportunities.
Dr. Waller has drawn international recognition as a preacher and theorist. He has visited Seoul, South Korea to preach at worship services with 80,000 to 100,000 persons. Additionally, in the summer of 2013, Dr. Waller presented at an Oxford University roundtable on religious theory.
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The Arts
The heart of Dr. Waller’s ministry can be felt through his musical gift. As a songwriter, musician, and vocalist, he has shared the message of Christ’s love through song. With the contributions of Dr. Waller, the Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church Mass Choir released two CDs in 2001 and 2010. In October 2004, Dr. Waller released his solo CD, “With His Permission.”
Dr. Waller regularly ministers through song with the Enon Tabernacle Mass Choir and as a soloist. For example, Dr. Waller was blessed with the opportunity to minister as a vocalist by opening for the Gospel duo Mary Mary at the Keswick Theatre (Glenside, PA) in 2011 and the Gospel legendary Clark Sisters at the Dell Music Center (Philadelphia, PA) in 2012. Most recently, he opened for Fred Hammond in concert at the Kimmel Center (Philadelphia, PA) in 2013 and headlined the Celebration of Gospel at the Mann Center for Performing Arts (Philadelphia, PA) in 2014.
Dr. Waller has extended his gift for preaching and teaching to literature. In 2006, Dr. Waller released his first book, Enjoy Your Journey: Our Quest for a Deeper Relationship with Christ. As a sequel, in 2011, Dr. Waller released Hope for the Journey: Believing God is Enough When the Road Gets Rough. Periodically, Dr. Waller contributes to local op-ed pages to address important issues that challenge the community.