Madison T. Shockley II
Pastor, writer, activist
The Rev. Madison T. Shockley II is the pastor of the Pilgrim United Church of Christ in Carlsbad, CA. He brings to Pilgrim Church a wealth of experience from his work in the political, non-profit and media environments. Originally ordained in the African Methodist Episcopal Church in 1979, he served churches in St. Louis, Denver and Seattle. In 1990, he joined the United Church of Christ when he accepted the call to the Congregational Church of Christian Fellowship, UCC, in Los Angeles. In Los Angeles, he became a leader in the aftermath of the 1992 riots by organizing and hosting an interracial dialogue to heal the broken community.
Madison was called to Pilgrim Church (as the first African American pastor of this predominantly Anglo congregation) in 2004. Along with performing his pastoral duties with Pilgrim, Madison currently serves on the board of directors of American Civil Liberties Union of San Diego and Imperial Counties and the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. He recently served several terms on the boards of ProgressiveChristianity.org and Interfaith Community Services.
In San Diego County, Madison is recognized as a leader for immigrant rights, reproductive choice and marriage equality for the LGBTQ community. His sermons are eagerly heard for his unique combination of biblical scholarship, progressive theology and current events. He is also nationally known for leading the church through the development of a policy for ministering to sex offenders in the church. He transformed the crisis into a ‘teachable moment’ through the intense media attention to this story. He has been interviewed on ABC’s Good Morning America, the New York Times, National Public Radio and more.
Beyond the pulpit, Madison was a grassroots candidate for the Los Angeles City Council in 1999 and 2003. In 1998, he began writing commentary for the Los Angeles Times and in 2005, became a contributor to the award-winning website, Truthdig.com on a wide range of topics including religion, race, politics, reproductive choice and popular culture. He has also published columns in the San Francisco Chronicle, the San Diego Union Tribune and the North County Times on a wide variety of topics. He is a widely-sought speaker and panelist on progressive religion and politics. Madison has been a workshop and seminar leader for the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice for over a decade at the National Black Religious Summit on Sexuality and has written a presentation entitled "A Theology of Reproductive Choice".
A native of Los Angeles, he was educated at Harvard College and the University of Missouri-St. Louis. He holds the Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary in New York City and has done advanced graduate work at Claremont Graduate University in New Testament Studies. He is married to the former Gayle P. Welch, and they are the parents of four adult children.
