Bishop Richard D. Shaw

Bishop Richard D. Shaw, a native of Marion, Alabama, serves as Presiding Prelate of the Second Episcopal District of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church. He was elected the 70th bishop of the C.M.E. Church at the 41st General Conference in Dallas, Texas, on June 17, 2026. Bishop Shaw and his wife, Dr. Toni M. Shaw, are the parents of three adult children and proud grandparents of seven.

Bishop Shaw served as an ordained pastor for 28 years, including a 16-year pastorate at St. Matthew C.M.E. Church in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Under his leadership, St. Matthew expanded its ministries by acquiring and renovating a former car dealership into a second worship and ministry site; both locations continue to serve their communities as practical expressions of Christ’s love. His previous pastoral appointments include Shady Grove C.M.E. (Cromwell, AL), Union Chapel C.M.E. (Ward, AL), Little Walker C.M.E. (Butter, AL), Ebenezer C.M.E. (Loachapoka, AL), J. Claude Allen C.M.E. (Dixmoor, IL), and Walls Memorial C.M.E. (Chicago, IL). He was licensed to preach at Fairfield C.M.E. Church in Halsell, AL.

Within the C.M.E. Church, Bishop Shaw has served in numerous capacities—on the Joint Board of Finance, Ministerial Examination Committees, as a Regional Trustee, and in Evangelism. He was elected a General Conference delegate seven times (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2024, and 2026) and served as a General Connectional Board delegate from 2007–2025. He has been recognized with Outstanding Ministry Awards at Pastors’ Conferences (2010 and 2023) and was among the first recipients of the C.M.E. Church’s Good Trouble Award.

A trained and certified community organizer, Bishop Shaw has extensive experience building coalitions for justice and transformation. He served two terms as president of MICAH (Milwaukee Inner-City Congregations Allied for Hope), an interfaith, interracial coalition of congregations and faith leaders working on economics, health, mass incarceration and prison reform, racism, and environmental justice. While in Milwaukee he also served as a chaplain for the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Department and as a campus minister for the St. Ann Center for Intergenerational Care.

His civic leadership has been recognized with several awards, including the Outstanding Community Leader’s Award from MICAH, the River Hero Award from the Milwaukee

Riverkeepers for dedication to local waterways, and the Health Advocacy Award from the Greater Milwaukee Urban League.

Bishop Shaw attended Francis Marion High School (Marion, AL) and pursued higher education at Stillman College (Tuscaloosa, AL), Governor’s State University (University Park, IL), and Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary (Evanston, IL). He holds a B.A. in Broadcast and Speech Communications, a Master of Divinity, and a Doctor of Ministry in Preaching (earned through Garrett Evangelical and the Association of Chicago Theological Schools). He is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

Bishop Shaw brings to his episcopal ministry a deep pastoral heart, a proven record of congregational development, and a sustained commitment to faith-driven community transformation and social justice.