Richard Shields

Richard was born and raised in Hawthorne, California by parents who were committed followers of Jesus. The Hawthorne Church of Christ was his spiritual family for the first twenty years of his life, and the place of his baptism into Christ. Sensing God’s call to ministry, he studied at Pepperdine University, receiving Bachelor and Master Degrees in Religion.

Richard met his wife, Ellen, through church, on a short-term mission trip to San Felipe, Mexico. They married in 1973 and are blessed with four children and five grandchildren.

Richard began preaching full-time in 1974. Through the years he and Ellen served with three congregations in California. From 1991-1996 the Shields family was blessed to work as missionaries in Nairobi, Kenya, helping to plant a church in the suburb of Koma Rock, and teaching at the Nairobi Great Commission School, training church leaders.

In 1996 the Shields became part of the Newland Street Church of Christ (now the SOCAL Church) where Richard has served as a preacher, and since 2012 as an elder of the congregation.

God has placed Richard in the body of Christ as a teacher, a supporter of missions, and a shepherd of the flock, which bring great fulfillment and joy to his life. He feels blessed to be a part of the SOCAL Church family.