The Rev. Dr. Leah D. Schade is the Associate Professor of Preaching and Worship at Lexington Theological Seminary in Kentucky and ordained in the ELCA. Dr. Schade does not speak for LTS or the ELCA; her opinions are her own. She is the author of Preaching and Social Issues: Tools and Tactics for Empowering Your Prophetic Voice (Rowman & Littlefield, 2024), Preaching in the Purple Zone: Ministry in the Red-Blue Divide (Rowman & Littlefield, 2019) and Creation-Crisis Preaching: Ecology, Theology, and the Pulpit (Chalice Press, 2015). She is the co-editor of Rooted and Rising: Voices of Courage in a Time of Climate Crisis (Rowman & Littlefield, 2019). Her book, Introduction to Preaching: Scripture, Theology, and Sermon Preparation, was co-authored with Jerry L. Sumney and Emily Askew (Rowman & Littlefield, 2023).
Leah served as the President of the Academy of Homiletics in 2024. She has been a featured speaker for the Festival of Homiletics, leads workshops and retreats, and keynotes events throughout the country. She is directing a Lilly-funded grant, “Compelling Preaching for a Climate-Changed World” with Lexington Theological Seminary, The BTS Center, and Creation Justice Ministries. In 2019-20 she directed a Wabash grant exploring the use of deliberative dialogue in congregations and theological education Leah is also conducting a longitudinal research study about ministry, preaching, and social issues that has surveyed nearly 3,000 clergy and 1,000 laity.
Leah received the Kentucky Council of Churches award in 2019. She is also co-founder of the Clergy Emergency League, a network of 2,800 pastors throughout the U.S. that provides support, accountability, resources, and networking for clergy to confront Christian nationalism and prophetically minister in their congregations and the public square in this time of political upheaval, social unrest, and partisan division.
Leah is a member of academic guilds at which she makes regular presentations and serves on panel discussions, including the Academy of Homiletics and Society for the Scientific Study of Religion.
Leah is also a professional harpist and her CD, Shall We Gather, is available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/ldschade.
You can follow her on:
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/leahschade.bsky.social
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeahDSchade/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Leah-D.-Schade/e/B018UH18EQ
To contact Leah directly: [email protected].
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