The Rev. Dr. Leah D. Schade is the Associate Professor of Preaching and Worship at Lexington Theological Seminary in Lexington, Kentucky. An ordained Lutheran minister (ELCA) for more than twenty years, Leah earned both her MDiv and PhD degrees from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (now United Lutheran Seminary). She has pastored three Pennsylvania congregations in suburban, urban, and rural contexts. She is the author or co-editor of six books, notably, Preaching in the Purple Zone: Ministry in the Red- Blue Divide (Rowman & Littlefield, 2019), explores how clergy and congregations can address controversial social issues using nonpartisan, biblically-centered approaches and deliberative dialogue. Her forthcoming book is titled Preaching and Social Issues: Tools and Tactics for Empowering Your Prophetic Voice, which will be published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2024.

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Dr. Schade received a $30,000 grant from the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion to study deliberative dialogue in classrooms and congregations. She has conducted longitudinal research on ministry, preaching, and social issues that has surveyed nearly 3,000 clergy and 1,000 laity since 2017. Dr. Schade received the Kentucky Council of Churches award in 2019 and is the EcoPreacher blogger for Patheos.