Jonathan Doyle Keaton (born March 30, 1946) is an American bishop of the United Methodist Church, elected in 1996.

Birth and family

He is married to Beverly L. Keaton. They have three grown children: Jonathan Doyle Keaton, II, Tandreka Keaton, and Anaya Keaton; and two grandchildren: Maliah Keaton, and Amara Keaton.

Education

Keaton earned the B.S. degree in biology at Philander Smith College, Little Rock, Arkansas (1968), the

M.Div. For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and di ...

degree at

Garrett Theological Seminary Garrett may refer to: Places ;United States * Garrett, Illinois * Garrett, Indiana * Garrett, Kentucky (multiple places) ** Garrett, Floyd County, Kentucky, an unincorporated community ** Garrett, Meade County, Kentucky, an unincorporated commun ...

, Evanston, Illinois (1971), and the

S.T.D. The Doctor of Sacred Theology ( la, Sacrae Theologiae Doctor, abbreviated STD), also sometimes known as Professor of Sacred Theology (, abbreviated STP), is the final theological degree in the pontifical university system of the Roman Catholic C ...

in Homiletics and the Sociology of Religion at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary (G-ETS, 1979). He also served graduate teaching assistantships in communications, ethics and society, and church and the black experience while at G-ETS. He was awarded the U.M. Crusade Scholarship in academics, 1976-78.

Ministry

Prior to his election to the episcopacy, Keaton served in the Northern Illinois

Annual Conference A conference is a meeting of two or more experts to discuss and exchange opinions or new information about a particular topic. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always decisions, are the main pu ...

(NIC) of the

U.M. Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelic ...

. He was the pastor of

St. Luke Luke the Evangelist (Latin: '' Lucas''; grc, Λουκᾶς, '' Loukâs''; he, לוקאס, ''Lūqās''; arc, /ܠܘܩܐ לוקא, ''Lūqā’; Ge'ez: ሉቃስ'') is one of the Four Evangelists—the four traditionally ascribed authors of t ...

U.M.C., Chicago (1970–79) and of Broadway U.M.C.,

Rockford, Illinois Rockford is a city in Winnebago County, Illinois, located in the far northern part of the state. Situated on the banks of the Rock River, Rockford is the county seat of Winnebago County (a small portion of the city is located in Ogle County). ...

(1979 - September 1982). He served as Associate Council Director of the NIC (October 1982 to 30 June 1990), where his responsibilities included Church and Society, Ethnic Minority Local Churches ( Native American,

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, Hispanic, and Black), and Spiritual formation. He was appointed superintendent of the Aurora District of the NIC (1 July 1990 to 31 August 1996). Upon his election, Keaton was assigned to the Ohio East episcopal area (1 September 1996 to 31 August 2004). He was subsequently assigned to the Michigan Area until 2012, and the Illinois Great Rivers Conference until his retirement in 2016.

Denominational responsibilities

Keaton has served as a member of the U.M. General Board of Global Ministries, as the president of the U.M. Development Fund, and as the chairperson of Strengthening the Black Church in the 21st Century. Prior to his election as a bishop, he served on the U.M. General Council on Ministries (1988–96), the Advance Committee for Christ and His Church (1988–92), and the Division on Conferences and Connectional Issues of National Black Methodists for Church Renewal. He was elected to Jurisdictional and General Conferences 1988-96. He has traveled extensively in support of the U.M. Church, including Mexico, Africa, the Philippines, Europe, and Israel. He is much in demand as a preacher at national leadership events, for annual conferences, as

commencement speaker A commencement speech or commencement address is a speech given to graduating students, generally at a university, although the term is also used for secondary education institutions and in similar institutions around the world. The commencement ...

at colleges and seminaries, and in other settings.

References

The Council of Bishops of the United Methodist ChurchInfoServ, the official information service of The United Methodist Church

External links