Lawrence T. Richardson (Class of 2028, At Large) serves as the Associate Conference Minister for Church Vitality and Transitions in the Michigan Conference UCC and as the chair of the United Church of Christ Board Development Committee. He is a doctoral candidate at Berkeley School of Theology, a graduate of St. Catherine University and Liberty Seminary, where he was trained in Sociology, Communications, Pastoral Care, Evangelism, and Christian Ministry, and has completed certifications for Antiracism Facilitator Training, Our Whole Lives Sexuality Training, Church Planting, Digital Media Strategy, Executive Leadership Coaching, and Religious Fundraising.
The author of the memoir I Know What Heaven Looks Like and a member of the International Sociology Honors Society, Rev. Richardson writes about and advocates for LGBTQ people, people of color, and the flourishing of all, with his works appearing in Huffington Post Religion, The Root, Believe Out Loud, The Salt Collective, Rachel Murr’s Unnatural: Spiritual Resiliency in Queer Christian Women, Austen Hartke’s Transforming: The Bible and the Lives of Transgender Christians, and numerous national and international publications. Rev. Richardson has received awards and commendations for his service, including the Humanitarian Award from Black Transmen Inc. and the Stellar Award for his work in global communication.
When he is not ministering, researching, or writing about what he researches, Pastor Lawrence loves reading, trying different cuisines, traveling, spending time with family, and empowering people to live life from a place of joy, abundance, faith, and gratitude.