Six Decades on 22nd Avenue South
Christ Gospel Church of St. Petersburg sits at 2512 22nd Avenue South in the 33712 zip code, where Bishop Preston D. H. Leonard has pastored the same congregation since 1957. He is the longest-tenured living pastor of a single congregation in the St. Petersburg area. What began as six people gathered in a living room has grown into a body of roughly three hundred members, anchored by a teaching Bishop Leonard calls "The Crucified Message."
The Bishop's Calling
Preston D. H. Leonard was born in Lloyd, in Jefferson County, Florida, and accepted Christ at the age of ten while a member of Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church in Monticello. Three life-changing events shaped his early years. In 1953 he received the call to preach and delivered his first sermon that October. In 1954 he married his school-days sweetheart, the former Virginia Mosley, and that same year he was baptized in Jesus' Name and ordained. He and Virginia had seven children, sixteen grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.
After Virginia's passing in May 2009, after fifty-six years of marriage, Bishop Leonard's commitment to the work has not wavered. He earned his Bachelor and Master's degrees from International University, attended Florida A&M University, the Jack Hyles Pastoral School, and the Clyde Narramore Counseling School, and served in the U.S. Navy Medical Corps in Bainbridge, Maryland. Beyond St. Petersburg he serves as Presiding Bishop of Christ Kingdom International Fellowship and as International Bishop of the Christ Gospel Churches of Jamaica Apostolic, Haiti, and Ghana, Africa.
Executive Pastor Dr. Tony B. Young Jr.
Reverend Dr. Tony B. Young Jr. serves as Executive Pastor and as the assistant to Bishop Leonard. An ordained elder, certified counselor, accomplished musician, conference facilitator, Bible teacher, and Christian family counselor, he is the host of the radio program The Crucified Message. His book The Anatomy of True Worship has been distributed across the United States and abroad. Dr. Young holds a Bachelor of Sociology from the University of South Florida, a Master of Theology and Ph.D. in Counseling from International Seminary, and an Honorary Doctorate of Divinity from Beacon College and Seminary in Jacksonville, Florida. He is a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors and a Certified Leadership Coach with Light University/AACC.
He and his wife Kathi have five children. Kathi Young, the First Lady of Christ Gospel Church, is an anointed worship leader whose music CD Highest Praise has reached listeners across the country. She holds a Bachelor of Religious Education from International Seminary, is a Certified Health and Wellness Coach, and serves as a Trust Officer at Raymond James Financial after more than thirty years in the banking and trust industry.
The Crucified Message on the Airwaves
The church's signature teaching takes a second form as a weekly radio broadcast. The Crucified Message airs on Faith Talk Radio on AM 570, AM 760, FM 100.3, and FM 104.3 each Sunday at 7:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Hosted by Dr. Tony B. Young Jr., the program reaches listeners through letstalkfaith.com and through the Omny podcast platform, where past episodes are available for streaming.
Foundational Truths
The church's doctrinal statement opens with the Bible: all sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments are understood as verbally inspired by God and inerrant in the original writings, and they remain the Christian's final authority in faith and conduct. There is one true, living, sovereign, holy, and eternally existent God, infinitely perfect and existing in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - the creator and sustainer of all things.
Jesus Christ is confessed as the eternal Son of God who, by the miracle of the virgin birth, took on humanity without ceasing to be God, in order to reveal God and redeem mankind from sin. He died as a substitutionary sacrifice, rose bodily from the dead for our justification, and is now exalted at the right hand of God as Head of the Church, fulfilling His ministry as Great High Priest and Advocate. The Holy Spirit's ministry is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ, to convict the world of sin, to regenerate the believing sinner, and to indwell, guide, instruct, and empower believers for godly living and service. Each believer receives at least one spiritual gift for the strength and outreach of the church.
Salvation is God's free gift, received only through personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; it is neither merited nor secured by any human virtue, work, or ceremony. Christians have, as a present possession, eternal life, perfect righteousness, and son-ship in God's family, and they share the divine guarantee that they shall never perish. The church observes two ordinances as visible reminders of Christ's death and resurrection: baptism by immersion in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ as a one-time act of obedience, and the Lord's Supper as an ongoing symbol of remembrance. Neither practice is regarded as a means of salvation.
A Weekly Rhythm of Prayer and Word
The congregation gathers around a steady schedule. Sunday begins with 6:00 a.m. prayer, followed by Morning Worship at 10:00 a.m. The radio broadcast of The Crucified Message airs on Faith Talk at 7:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. On Monday evenings at 6:00 p.m., the church hosts a prayer conference call that anyone can join by phone. Wednesday nights feature prayer at 6:00 p.m. and Bible Study at 7:00 p.m.
Youth Ministry and Vacation Bible School
The church maintains an active youth ministry and an annual Vacation Bible School. Youth and VBS shirts are made to order each year in unisex and women's cuts and are coordinated through the ministry office.
Missions Across Four Continents
Christ Gospel Church of St. Petersburg supports missions in Africa, Haiti, and Jamaica, alongside local outreach throughout Pinellas County. The Christ Kingdom International Convention, hosted by the fellowship of churches under Bishop Leonard, gathers believers for worship, teaching, fellowship, and spiritual renewal each year. Contributions to the church's ministry and global mission work can be made online.