Bishop Jonathan D. Keaton
Resident Bishop – Illinois Area
The United Methodist Church
Bishop Jonathan D. Keaton was assigned to serve as episcopal leader of the Illinois Area of the United Methodist Church
September 1, 2012. From 2004-2012, he served as the resident bishop of the Michigan Area, which includes the Detroit
and West Michigan Conferences. Prior to Michigan he served as the resident bishop of the Ohio East Area for eight years.
Bishop Keaton was elected to the Episcopacy in 1996 after serving for six years as the district superintendent of the
Aurora District in the Northern Illinois Annual Conference. Prior to that, he was an Associate Council Director in Northern
Illinois for eight years responsible for church and society, ethnic minority local churches and spiritual formation. Bishop
Keaton also served two local churches: Broadway UMC in Rockford, Ill. and St. Luke UMC in Chicago, Ill. Bishop Keaton was
elected to three General Conference delegations with the Northern Illinois Conference and was the head of the delegation
in 1996.
An active servant on the general church level, Bishop Keaton served as a member of the General Council on Ministries
from 1988-1996. He served as a member of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry from 2009-2012. His past
involvement with General Agencies include the General Board of Global Ministry from 1996-2004, and The United
Methodist Development Fund from 1996-2004, where he served as president. Bishop Keaton chaired the denominational
initiative, Strengthening the Black Church for the 21st Century (SBC-21) from 1996-2008. His service on SBC-21 ended in
2012. Bishop Keaton is serving as a member of the OCUIR Steering Committee and Council of Bishop’s Leadership Team
on Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations
Bishop Keaton graduated with a Master's of Divinity Studies from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary where he later
received a Doctorate in Sacred Theology in the areas of Homiletics and Sociology of Religion. Awarded the Distinguished
Alumni Award from Garrett in 2001, he was also a teaching assistant at Garrett in communications, ethics and society,
church and the Black experience. Originally from Fort Smith, Arkansas, Bishop Keaton received his Bachelors of Science in
Biology degree from Philander Smith College and was awarded the Outstanding Service Award. Philander Smith is one of
the eleven colleges and universities supported by The United Methodist Church's Black College Fund.
Bishop Keaton has co-authored two books, “The Confessions of Three Ebony Bishops" with Bishop Edsel A. Ammons and
Bishop Ernest S. Lyght and “Our Father, Where Are the Fathers?” with Bishop Ernest S. Lyght. He also contributed to, "God
Delivers Me - a Model from Strengthening the Black Church for the 21st Century.” Bishop Keaton has traveled the world
extensively in support of missions and is a frequent presenter at The United Methodist Women Schools of Christian
Mission/Mission U across the United States.
Bishop Keaton and his wife, Beverly, have been blessed with three children: Jonathan II and his wife Lisa reside in Illinois
with the Bishop and Mrs. Keaton’s two granddaughters, Maliah and Amara. Their adult daughters Tandreka and Anaya
reside in Lansing, Michigan.
Bishop Keaton may be reached by email at: bishop@ igrc.org. He also writes a monthly article for the Illinois Great Rivers
Conference website and regularly posts sermons and reflections.