Reverend Dr. Richard D. Shaw has served as Pastor of St. Matthew CME Church since July 30, 2010. He currently serves under the leadership of Bishop Sylvester Williams, Sr. Reverend Dr. Shaw is a member of the Regional Joint Board of Finance and the Trustee Board of the Southeast Missouri, Illinois, and Wisconsin Region. He was appointed to St. Matthew by Retired Bishop Paul A. G. Stewart, Sr. during the Annual Conference held in Rosemont, Illinois.

Prior to his assignment at St. Matthew, Reverend Dr. Shaw served Illinois congregations at Walls Memorial CME Church in Chicago and J. Claude Allen CME Church in Dixmoor. His pastoral ministry began in Alabama, where he faithfully served Shady Grove CME Church in Cromwell, Union Chapel CME Church in Butler, Little Walker CME Church in Pennington, Ebenezer CME Church in Loachapoka, and Mt. Zion CME Church in Alpine.

Reverend Dr. Shaw currently serves on the Committee on Evangelism & Mission and the Commission on Faith and Order for the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church. Throughout his ministry, he has also served on the Committee on Ministerial Examination and the Committee on Evangelism & Mission. He has been elected as a delegate to the General Conference in 2006, 2010, 2018, 2022, and 2024, and has served as a member of the General Connectional Board since 2008.

Reverend Dr. Shaw’s pastoral ministry began on the Mobile District at Fairfield CME Church, where he was licensed to preach in 1998. During his ministry, he has served congregations in the Southeast Alabama and Montgomery/Phoenix City/Opelika Regions of the Fifth Episcopal District, as well as the Michigan-Indiana Region and the Southeast Missouri, Illinois, and Wisconsin Region of the Third Episcopal District.

Dr. Shaw is currently serving his second term as President of MICAH (Milwaukee Inner-City Congregations Allied for Hope). MICAH is a nonprofit organization dedicated to organizing, empowering, and training people throughout Milwaukee to address the concerns affecting their communities. A multiracial and interfaith organization, MICAH has worked for justice in Milwaukee for more than 37 years through the partnership of more than sixty congregations and community organizations. Before becoming president, Dr. Shaw was a founding member of MICAH’s 53206 Initiative on Mass Incarceration.

Pastor Shaw has also partnered with the Wisconsin Council of Churches, the NAACP, St. Ann Center for Intergenerational Care, and currently serves as a chaplain for the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Department.

Pastor Shaw graduated from Francis Marion High School in Marion, Alabama. He continued his education at Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree; Governors State University in University Park, Illinois, where he earned a Master of Arts degree; and Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois, where he earned a Master of Divinity degree. He later received his Doctor of Ministry degree from Garrett-Evangelical through the Association of Chicago Theological Schools (ACTS) program in Chicago, Illinois.

Pastor Shaw has received numerous awards and recognitions from both community organizations and the church, including the Outstanding Minister’s Award in 2013 and 2024. In 2025, he was among the inaugural recipients of the Good Trouble Award presented by the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church. He has also been recognized by MICAH for his leadership in justice initiatives and has received multiple awards on behalf of the organization, particularly for its work in Environmental Justice. Most recently, he was honored by the Milwaukee Urban League for his leadership and commitment to health equity.

Reverend Dr. Richard D. Shaw has been married to Dr. Toni Shaw for more than 30 years. Together, they are the proud parents of three adult children and grandparents to five grandchildren. He is also a proud member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.