The Reverend Todd DeLaney was born and raised in West Tennessee. After high school he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and served in Somalia, Rwanda, and the Persian Gulf. After leaving active duty, he returned to West Tennessee and was ordained a minister in the Southern Baptist Church. He pastored three churches in succession and earned degrees from Union University and Memphis Theological Seminary. In 2004, Father Todd was endorsed by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and joined the United States Navy Chaplain Corps, where he served for 19 years in positions of increasing seniority, including Navy, Marine Corps, Pentagon, and Joint Service billets. As a chaplain he deployed three times to areas throughout the Western and South Pacific, Southeast Asia, the Persian Gulf, Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, and the Horn of Africa. Most recently, Father Todd served as Command Chaplain of the aircraft carrier, USS JOHN C STENNIS (CVN 74). He retired from the Navy in March 2023.

Father Todd was ordained an Episcopal Deacon in 2015 and a Priest in 2016. He has been
Priest-In-Charge of Christ Church since July 2024. He brings with him the depth of his
experience in service with and to young people and families, a dedication to pastoral care and community building through outreach and prayer, a joy in diversity and inclusion, a love of traditional liturgy and music, and a commitment to scripture. He is father to Joseph (28), Katherine (26), Jacob (9), and Isabella (6). Father Todd can be reached at rev.todd@christchurchsmithfield.org or by calling the church office at (757) 357-2826.