Remembering the life of Dr. Leland Paris (May 6, 1939 – May 15, 2026)
With a heavy heart, but a joyful spirit, we share the news of our founder’s passing.
Dr. Leland Paris went to be with Jesus on Friday afternoon, May 15, after a short illness. Across a long life, he rallied supporters like you and me to bring life-saving food, rescue, education, and the Gospel to some of the hardest places on earth. He was the catalyst and co-architect of a training program that has discipled more than a million believers. His ministry sent out thousands of missionaries and helped plant more than 200 works in over 140 nations.
And yet Leland was humble. A giant of the faith who never once brought reproach to the name of Jesus or to his ministry. He didn’t only preach the Gospel. He lived it.
He was my greatest mentor. I had the honor of calling him uncle, the dear and only sibling of my wife’s father. But he was really like a father to me. Leland was a father to so many, especially to the fatherless. If ever a man lived what James calls pure and undefiled religion, to visit the widow and the orphan in their need and keep oneself unspotted from the world, Leland was that man.
In the early morning hours before his final night, I was privileged to sit up with him, watching, waiting, making sure he was as comfortable as possible. As I sat there in the stillness, I caught a final glimpse of his legacy. His last season had been the trial of his life. He cared tenderly for his wife, Fran, as she slipped into Alzheimer’s.
When Elisha watched Elijah taken from him, he had to see something to receive the double portion. To paraphrase what Elijah was telling his successor: “You have seen how I have lived. Now watch how I leave this world.”
Needless to say, I’m no Elisha. But I watched my mentor as he did. Leland did not go up in a whirlwind, as Elijah did. He died, as we all will. But his going was its own kind of glory. In Love Shines, Leland quoted one of his friends who described the Christian walk as “giving and forgiving.” He did this, even as he exited this life. The mantle that fell from him was the covering of the slain Lamb — the love of the Father, bought with blood. That is the love Leland had received. That is the love he gave.
Leland understood something about fatherhood that most of us only glimpse. Teachers lay down the law and call for justice. Fathers call for mercy. We need both, but if a man is going to err, let him err on the side of mercy, as Leland truly did. His own father wept when he had to discipline his boys but discipline them, he did. It hurt him more than it hurt them. That is the heart of a father, and Leland had that heart, poured out almost without measure. He gave grace where others would have demanded an accounting. He forgave where many would have pressed for justice. It was the Father’s heart, and Leland wore it to the end.
When Leland asked me to become his successor, I was humbled by his trust. I am not a giant like him. I cannot fill his shoes. But together, you and I can shoulder this burden for the sake of Christ and continue to show the Father’s heart to the least of these. I am a donor and a volunteer CEO, and I count it the privilege of my life to serve in this way in this season.
Global Bridges exists to be a father to the fatherless. Leland’s legacy lives on.
Paul Snyder
President & CEO
For those who would like to know Leland in his own words, his book Love Shines is available here.
I honor and respect Dr. Leland Paris with my whole heart. His legacy will continue throughout the world. May God comfort his family members and bless YM Tylerfellow workers.
I’ve known Leland when he was first pioneering Global Bridges. He had just returned from one of the least reached nations of the world with a mandate from the Lord to do something about it. Over the course of the next 27 years I had the privilege of walking with him on many occasions to help in small ways to make a difference to those who had little or no opportunity to meet and serve the risen Savior. Leland was truly a great man of God. I’m honored to have called him my friend.
In Memory of Dr. Leland Paris
With heavy hearts yet hopeful spirits, we mourn the homegoing of a true giant of the faith.
Dr. Paris lived his entire life as “a father to the fatherless.” The footprints of his devotion — bringing the Gospel to more than 140 nations and discipling over a million believers — will shine on this earth forever. Yet what matters more is this: he was not only a man who preached the Gospel, but a man who lived it.
The way he tenderly cared for his beloved wife Fran through her journey with Alzheimer’s, right to the very end — that was the deepest sermon of the message he had proclaimed all his life. A life of “giving and forgiving” was something Dr. Paris embodied until the moment he departed this world.
Like the mantle Elijah left for Elisha, what Dr. Paris has bequeathed to us is the Father’s heart — purchased by the blood of the Lamb. A heart that chose mercy over justice, grace over accounting. That legacy now rests upon all of us.
Rest in peace, Dr. Paris. Until we meet again in the arms of our Lord.
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” — 2 Timothy 4:7
With deepest condolences,
James Cho (조주섭)