Bishop Shawn D. Bartley
Senior Pastor
Bishop Shawn D. Bartley, a native of Jamaica, West Indies, was born in Kingston and raised in the Portmore area. After attending the Morris Knibb Preparatory School, he went on to Kingston College High School, where he excelled academically. In 1982, he graduated, with honors, as the class valedictorian. Upon his graduation, he migrated to the United States with his family, where they settled in the Philadelphia area. Bishop Bartley furthered his education by attending the Community College of Philadelphia and Beaver University, with a double major in Business and Science.
Since 1987, Bishop Bartley has pursued a career in proprietary education. He began serving as a High School Admissions Representative and later went on to become the Director of Admissions for three different schools. He served as the Executive Director for five years and in 2005 he was promoted to President and was the First African American President of Thompson Institute – a leader in allied health training. Thompson Institute known also as Kaplan Career Institute is a division of the Washington Post and is a leading provider of allied heath staffing for area hospitals such as Hahnemann, Jefferson, Einstein, Temple and others. Under his leadership, this company experienced tremendous growth was listed as one of the top 5% of schools in the country in the Kaplan organization.
At age 13, Bishop Bartley experienced the power of God in a way that changed his life forever. After witnessing the miraculous healing of his 5 year old brother from cancer, Bishop Bartley accepted Jesus Christ as his personal savior. He was 15 years old when he began to share the Word of God. Bishop Bartley officially began his ministry in 1986 and was ordained as a minister in 1988. After serving as Associate Minister for several years, he was appointed to the Pastorate of True United Church. His influence as a Pastor has extended far beyond the Philadelphia area. In September 2005, Bishop Bartley received a Doctorate Degree in Ministry. In June 2007, Bishop Bartley stepped out on faith and resigned his position as President of The Thompson Institute to heed to the voice of God, and pursue the call on his life by entering into full time ministry.
Bishop Bartley is the Founder of the United Fellowship of Churches, a covering body providing pastors & churches with guidance. In all of his endeavors, Bishop Bartley continues to impact the lives of thousands of people, locally, nationally and internationally.
Bishop Bartley consistently has the support of not only his TUC family, but also his immediate and extended family. Pastor Neville and Minister Carol Crawford, his parents, nurtured his gifts and spiritual growth. His wife, Tanya Bartley and his four sons: Shawn Jr., Sheldon, Devon and Chad bring him much joy!