Purposes . . .

Laudemont Ministries serves the church of Jesus Christ by encouraging a penetrating theological understanding of Holy Scripture, a biblically informed practice of Christian worship, and a literary and poetic response to Christian truth. Activities include:

• Publishing books in biblical theology, worship studies and poetry under the Laudemont Press imprint
• Publishing books in other Christian subjects under the Lampstand Books imprint
• Presenting uplifting, positive poetry in WestWard Quarterly, “The Magazine of Family Reading”
• Creating works of Christian fiction published under various imprints
• Editorial work and writing for other Christian publishers
• Pastoral ministry and educational activities within the Illinois-Iowa-Missouri tristate area.

Established in 1987 by Richard C. Leonard, Ph.D., Laudemont Ministries is a registered Illinois not-for-profit corporation.

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People . . .

Richard C. Leonard earned the Ph.D. in Biblical Studies from Boston University, where his dissertation was on the canon of the Old Testament. He served on the faculty of Texas Wesleyan University, Fort Worth, and Christian Life College, Mount Prospect, Illinois, and was Academic Dean and Registrar of The Institute for Worship Studies Florida Campus from 1998-2001. He has taught as visiting professor at seminaries in Canada and Croatia. Dr. Leonard also served as pastor of churches in New England and Illinois, including as interim minister (2004-2005) of Union Congregational Church (now Living Hope Church), North Aurora, Illinois (2005-2005) and First Christian Church, Hamilton, Illinois (2015-2017).

In addition to authoring books and articles for Laudemont Press and Laudemont Ministries, Dr. Leonard was Scripture editor for The Complete Library of Christian Worship (Hendrickson), a reviewing editor for the Praise and Worship Study Bible (Tyndale), and a contributor to The One Year Book of Bible Prayers (Tyndale). He has published articles in several Christian periodicals, most recently in EthnoDoxology, 2008 (no longer published). He was also the “ghost writer” of A Theological Miscellany by the fictitious “T. J. McTavish” (Thomas Nelson, 2005), and co-compiler of A Glimpse of Heaven (Howard, 2007), a book of classical and contemporary readings.

Dr. Leonard has published three novels: Silence of the Drums, New America and, with his daughter Charity Silkebakken, Heart of the Highriders. He was co-author (with J. E. Leonard) of The Promise of His Coming. His latest book is Late Breaking News: Reconsidering the Gospel of the New Testament,

At different times Dr. Leonard has been a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers and the Christian Writers Fellowship International. For information about his current literary activities, visit his Author Web Site.

Shirley Anne Leonard studied at Carl Sandburg College, where she earned the Certificate in Desktop Publishing and received other awards. She is editor of WestWard Quarterly: The Magazine of Family Reading and author of more than 750 poems, largely on Christian subjects. Her poetry chapbooks — Remembering Eden, Creation's Song, The Journey, The Promise and The Compass — are published by Laudemont Press under the Lampstand Books imprint. Her poetry has appeared in Time of Singing, WestWard Quarterly, Ancient Paths, and The FORESEE (newsletter of the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference). Several of her poems have also been published online by Reconciliation Press, Cross Way Publications, and Quill & Parchment. Poems she wrote also appear in A Glimpse of Heaven, compiled by Richard Leonard and JoNancy Sundberg (Howard Books, 2007) and Secure the Fort (and Remain Under God) edited by Lucy Cain (XLibris, 2007). Mrs. Leonard has been a member of the Christian Writers Fellowship International and the Illinois State Poetry Society. She is associated with her husband, Dr. Richard C. Leonard, in the work of Laudemont Ministries.

Principles . . .

Laudemont Ministries is based on the principle that the Scriptures — as the Word of God — speak for themselves, and interpret themselves. No historic doctrinal tradition supersedes the plain witness of the Bible. The meaning of the text is what its inspired authors intended it to mean, and what their hearers understood it to mean, in their own time and setting. Historical and linguistic study, combined with common sense, should be able to lead us to a discernment of that meaning — and, if through lack of information it does not, we stand on Deuteronomy 29:29: “The secret things belong to the Lord our God; but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.”

Laudemont Ministries, therefore, does not have a formal statement of faith. Article IV of our Bylaws states: “The basis for our faith is the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, taken as a whole, interpreted in the light of the most informed understanding of the meaning and intent of the inspired authors. No other statement or test of faith shall take precedence over the Holy Scriptures.”