Editing David Sheppard (section)

==Ecclesiastical career==
Sheppard was converted to [[evangelicalism|evangelical Christianity]] whilst at Cambridge, influenced by [[Donald Grey Barnhouse]], and trained for the ministry at [[Ridley Hall]], Cambridge from 1953 to 1955, where he attended the lectures of [[Owen Chadwick]] and [[Maurice Wiles]], and was much impressed by a visiting lecturer, [[Donald Soper]]. He was involved with the [[Iwerne camps]] ministry of [[E. J. H. Nash]].<ref>Manwaring, Randle (2002) ''From Controversy to Co-Existence: Evangelicals in the Church of England 1914–1980''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 58. {{ISBN|0521892473}}</ref> He was ordained in 1955, serving his title as curate at [[St Mary's Church, Islington]], but continued to play Test cricket sporadically until 1963, being the first ordained minister to do so.  From 1957, he was warden of the [[Dockland Settlements|Mayflower Family Centre]] in [[Canning Town]].
 
Sheppard became [[Bishop of Woolwich]] (a [[suffragan bishop]] in the [[Anglican Diocese of Southwark|Diocese of Southwark]]) in 1969,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=44953|page=10317|date=9 October 1969}}</ref> and [[Bishop of Liverpool]] in 1975.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=46566|page=5873|date=6 May 1975}}</ref>  When installed as Bishop of Liverpool, he was the youngest diocesan bishop in England.  He was an active broadcaster and campaigner, especially on the subjects of poverty and social reform in the [[inner city|inner cities]], and opposition to apartheid and the tour to England by the [[South African cricket team in England in 1970 (proposed)|South African cricket team]] scheduled to take place in 1970.

Sheppard worked closely with the Roman Catholic [[Archbishop of Liverpool]], [[Derek Worlock]], on these issues, and was often an outspoken critic of [[Premiership of Margaret Thatcher|Margaret Thatcher's government]].  The Queen visited both Liverpool cathedrals in 1978 to celebrate the long-delayed completion of the Anglican cathedral, and [[Pope John Paul II]] visited both cathedrals during his tour of England in 1982.  The bishops worked together in the aftermath of the [[1981 Toxteth riots]], the [[Heysel Stadium disaster|1985 Heysel stadium disaster]] and the [[Hillsborough disaster|1989 Hillsborough Stadium disaster]].  Sheppard also worked with other church leaders in Liverpool, including the Methodist chairman John Newton. He gave the [[Dimbleby Lecture]] in 1984, on "The Other Britain".  In 1985 he was appointed as a member of the Archbishop of Canterbury's Commission on Urban Priority Areas, culminating in the publishing of the controversial report "[[Faith in the City]]". He was national president of Family Service Units from 1987 and chaired the religious advisory committee for the BBC and IBA from 1989 to 1993.

Sheppard retired in 1997, and in the 1998 [[New Year Honours]] was elevated to a [[life peerage]],<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=54993 |supp=y|page=1|date=30 December 1997}}</ref> taking the title '''Baron Sheppard of Liverpool''', of [[West Kirby]] in the County of [[Merseyside]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=55048|page=1975|date=19 February 1998}}</ref> He sat in the [[House of Lords]] on the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] benches.