Leland and Jenniffer met at his first Marine Corps duty station in San Diego in 2001 and have spent their marriage following Jesus from place to place while raising their four daughters, now grown and walking their own paths. A California native, Jenniffer also volunteers with the non-profit organization Homefront Heroes, supporting and encouraging military families. Leland, who grew up on a farm in Georgia, served in the United States Marine Corps as a process and systems engineer for Marine Corps Aviation, developing and improving systems. His military service shaped his passion for identifying root causes, building adaptable systems, developing leaders, and understanding leading and lagging metrics—skills that now inform his ministry among highly transitory communities.

After retiring in 2014, Leland earned a Master of Arts in Christian Studies from Denver Seminary and later completed a Doctor of Theological Ministry in New Testament Context from Northern Seminary under the mentorship of Scot McKnight. His research focuses on reading Jesus’ story within Second Temple Judaism, integrating scholarship with systems thinking to help believers pursue transformation into the way of Jesus.

In 2017, Leland and Jenniffer began a ministry centered on church planting and disciple-making among military communities overseas—first in Europe and later in Hawaii—cultivating relational communities marked by enduring allegiance and faithfulness to Jesus amid constant change. In 2024, Jenniffer returned to school to complete a degree in graphic design and, Lord willing, will graduate in May 2027. She hopes to use the skills she is developing to serve their own ministry and to further support other ministries, such as Homefront Heroes. In 2025, Leland joined The Tribal Family, where he consults, teaches, and develops curriculum to help leaders, individuals, and families understand and live into the biblical story.