Barrett Berry

Barrett Berry is the founder and lead pastor of The Elm (Empowered Living Ministries), a new church in Charlotte, North Carolina. Watch Empowered Living with Barrett Berry Sundays on The CW - Charlotte and in Charlotte on Access 21 Television Network. He founded the online television network, Empowered Living TV viewed on Roku, FireTV, and AppleTV. He serves on the Board of Equalization and Review for Mecklenburg County and is a former board member of the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce. 

Barrett’s is spiritually covered by Pastor TJ McBride of Tabernacle of Praise International Church, (Atlanta) McDonough, Georgia and Bishop Chad Carlton of The Temple of Healing Waters in Northern Virginia. The Elm and Pastor Barrett partner with the Send Network of the North American Mission Board and the Shepherd Church, Los Angeles, California.

Barrett is an only son, inspirational speaker, proven leader, profound teacher, powerful preacher, gifted administrator, and an innovative social entrepreneur.  As an entrepreneur Barrett leads Veritas Development, a real estate development firm and Empowered Production Studio a full-service film production company.

Barrett is an ardent advocate of education and academic excellence who holds two undergraduate degrees in Political Science and Africana Studies from Morris Brown College as a Woodrow Wilson Fellow and a graduate degree from Harvard University as a Center for Public Leadership Fellow. He also completed studies at the University of Notre Dame (Executive Management), Andover-Newton Theological Seminary (Theology & Church Administration), McCormick Theological Seminary (Fundraising), and Valparaiso University (Law), to name a few. His career in higher education includes serving as an assistant dean of students at Harvard, admissions interviewer for Harvard College, and college lecturer at Valparaiso University. He has lectured at over 30 colleges and universities including, but not limited to, Harvard University, Stanford University, California State University Dominguez Hills, and Howard University.

Barrett is a faith leader. His first leadership role in the church was president of the political action committee for West Angeles Church of God in Christ in Los Angeles under the leadership of Bishop Charles E. Blake, Sr. His preparation for senior pastoral leadership includes leading the Power Movement Men’s Ministry, where he led revival services, prayer gatherings, and Bible studies for men. Barrett is a man of prayer and faith. Since 2000 Barrett served in roles as an executive pastor for a church plant, assistant to a pastor for a 100+ years old church, evangelist with Time to Revive, lead teacher for the children’s ministry at World Harvest Church Elkhart under the leadership of  Pastor Rod Parsley, and host of the acclaimed radio and television programs entitled Empowered Living with Barrett Berry.

Before relocating to Charlotte he served as the teaching and preaching pastor at Faith Temple Church in South Bend, Indiana. Recently, he was the North Carolina director of the Black Church PAC. During the 2021 Georgia Senate Special Election, he led the get-out-the-vote campaign for the Black Church PAC where the voter turnout increased by 150,000 from the general election. Barrett has a heart for people and is a servant leader. He served as a senior aide to heads of the US Small Business Administration, Labor Department, and Department of Agriculture. Barrett’s federal and state government experience includes serving as a senior aide in President Bill Clinton's Administration, for Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, and Chief of Staff to Massachusetts and Georgia state senators. He served as a senior aide to heads of the US Small Business Administration, Labor Department, and Department of Agriculture. His first leadership position in the federal government was at the US Department of State where he negotiated parentally kidnapped children taken abroad and assisted with evacuating eight countries.  Politically, he managed financial, field, and GOTV campaigns for presidential, congressional, state and local campaigns throughout the United States. As a federal lobbyist, Barrett represented the Church of God in Christ, the National Conference of Black Mayors, and multiple cities and counties. Barrett was a national surrogate speaker for US presidential candidates Vice President Al Gore and Senator John Kerry. In 2011, Barrett ran for mayor of the City of South Bend, Indiana. 

Barrett is an activist. During his college years, he led the African/Black Student Statewide Alliance in California, was chair of the National Black Student Government Association, Black Youth Vote!, president of the student government association, and co-led the National Youth Organizing Committee of the Million Man March.