LELAND PARIS is a missionary statesman who has dedicated over sixty years to the Great Commission. As a pioneer in Youth With A Mission (YWAM) and longtime director of the Americas, he conceived the original vision for the Discipleship Training School (DTS) and co-designed its foundational curriculum—a model that has since shaped the lives of over a million students.
He has helped plant more than 200 ministries in over 140 countries, counseling leaders and building bridges to the underground church in some of the world’s most restricted nations. His contributions to global missions have been recognized with four honorary doctorates.
In 1998, he founded Global Bridges, a ministry focused on delivering compassionate care and leadership training in the world’s most forgotten places. Through Global Bridges, his teams have delivered more than 118 million meals, rescued and cared for over 700 orphaned children, and trained thousands of leaders in regions where the Gospel must often travel in silence.
He and his wife, Frances, have been married since 1961 and reside in Lindale, Texas, where Leland continues to mentor the next generation of laborers.
