James “Doc” Shelton

HUSBAND/FATHER/PASTOR/COACH

THE STORY OF “DOC”

Pastor Shelton accepted Christ at the age of nine while attending Cleveland Street Missionary Baptist Church (1968- 2003). During those years, he served on the Usher Board, Trustee Board, Deacon Board, and as an Associate Minister.

Pastor Shelton has served as a ministry consultant to numerous churches, where he has also conducted biblically-based workshops on debt, youth ministry, tithing, and various other topics. His ministry reaches beyond the church into the field of marital, financial, and family counseling for individuals, couples, and groups.

The Metro Nashville Public School system employed him for 31 years before retiring in 2014. Twenty-five of those years were spent at Martin Luther King, Jr. Magnet High School, where he was the head coach of the boys varsity basketball team. God blessed him to lead MLK’s team to seven state tournament appearances and two state championships in Class A and Class AA.

Community Leadership

  • The President and Founder of the Nashville Black Coaches Association (1994 – 2014). 
  • The Executive Director of the Doc Shelton Basketball Camp, which eventually became the Doc Shelton Academy for Excellence Basketball Camp & Outreach Center, a 501c(3) organization that teaches life skills, Christian values and the fundamentals of basketball to school-age children.
  • Member of the Nashville City Civitan Club for 14 years, serving as Chaplain (2000 – 2014). He is the 2007 recipient of the Reese Smith Award – given to individuals who make a difference in sports and community service.
  • The Educator of the Year award from Millennium Focus: Community A.L.E.R.T. (May 2014)
  • The Trailblazer Award from the Greater Nashville Alliance of Black School Educators for Outstanding Commitment to Education (June 2014)
  • Inducted into the Metro Nashville Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame (April 2015)
  • The Martin Luther King High School basketball court was officially named the James ‘Doc’ Shelton Court.
  • Inducted into the Metro Nashville Public Schools Sports Hall of Fame (2021)