Pastor Shields is a native of Memphis, Tennessee.  As a young entrepreneur, he founded the Shields Nursing Centers in Richmond and El Cerrito, California in 1965 and 1969, respectively, where he served as administrator for over thirty years.

Pastor W. Matthew Shields has served for over seventeen years as the pastor of Living Word Ministries Community Church in Oakland, California.

In 2001, Pastor Shields founded the Boys to Men Christian Academy in Oakland, CA. 

Pastor Shields was the first Black president of the Richmond Rotary Club and is a member of the Richmond Chamber of Commerce.

Pastor Shields and his wife, Ruby; of fifty-two years reside in El Cerrito, California.  They are the parents of two children with four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.