Sam was born and raised outside Nashville, Tennessee and grew up with his family in church. Having always been involved in children’s ministry, youth groups, conferences, and seeing his parents lead a ministry in their church, he developed a relationship with Christ and became involved with the church from an early age. Julia grew up in Pleasant View, Tennessee and also came to know Christ as a child. She was an active part of her church’s youth group, helped her mother teach Sunday School to first graders, and enjoyed serving on mission trips every summer in high school.

These two met and dated throughout college at Austin Peay State University. After getting married in 2017, they knew God was calling them to find a church to plug into and serve, and found Real Life a few weeks after its launch in 2018. Sam and Julia have a heart for making people feel welcome and getting them connected to other followers of Christ, which is why they love leading the Next Steps team.

Sam graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication and returned to his alma mater as the Senior Director of Sponsorships and Annual Giving. He is also a part of Summit Church’s Future Leader Cohort. Julia graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication and a minor in Leadership Science, and currently works as the Director of Marketing for Crow Estate Planning & Probate. They have two daughters, Caroline and Elizabeth, and have 1 Blue Heeler Lab named Walker.