Born and raised in Lancaster, Leslie studied Accountancy and Law at the University of Manchester before training and qualifying as a Chartered Accountant. His local Methodist Church, in Torrisholme, Morecambe, nurtured his faith over the years, encouraging him to grow and develop through welcoming and encouraging his contributions through music, youth work and later in preaching. Leslie was accepted for the Methodist Ministry in 1995 and met his wife Gill, at Wesley College, Bristol where they both trained. They were married in 1996 and became parents to Laura in 2000. Prior to becoming Chair of the Yorkshire North and East District in 2017, Leslie served in circuit ministry in Barnsley, Stockport and York. He is also currently Chair of the Methodist Church’s New Places for New People Enabling Team and serves as a Trustee of Fresh Expressions. In September 2023, Leslie published Revive Us Again, a book that explores how John Wesley, founder of the Methodist movement, achieved extraordinary impact, and sets out how, by reclaiming Wesley’s message and methods, the 21st Century church can once again be the catalyst for spiritual and social transformation.