Leading Conversations
Conversations between J.D. Pearring, Director of Excel Leadership Network, and church planting leaders, innovators, and coaches from around the country.
Episodes
133 episodes
Conversation with Chris and Suzy Parks
A church plant can look like a launch date and a Sunday service, but the real story usually starts years earlier in the hidden places. We talk with Chris and Susie Parks of Presence Church in San Jose, California about the long formation behind...
Conversation with Chan Kwak (Classic)
In this conversation, J.D. spends some time with Chan Kwak. If you know anything about the city of Compton, CA, you would never imagine a Korean child who was brought to the United States in the middle of the night by his parents would plant a ...
Conversation with Sami Moss
A lot of leaders can name their gifts, but still feel stuck when it comes to where those gifts belong. JD sits down with Sammy Moss to trace a ministry story that does not depend on a dramatic “before and after,” but on steady faithfulness, wis...
Conversation with Jim Jessup (Classic)
How do legacies shape the leaders we become? Join us as we sit down with the inspiring Jim Jessup from Jessup University, who shares intimate stories of his family's remarkable church planting and leadership history. From his grandfather's foun...
Conversation with Chuck Perez
A lot of leaders wait for a dramatic calling moment, then miss the quiet invitations God puts right in front of them. JD sits down with Chuck Perez, a longtime Christian musician and pastor, to talk about what happens when you stop waiting for ...
Conversation with Dave Bennett (Classic)
Joining the conversation today is no stranger to the Excel Network. Dave Bennet has raised more money for churches than most of us will earn in a lifetime. In today's podcast, Dave shares the life-altering moment when his doctor spoke two words...
Conversation with Adam and Karissa King
A single dollar on a honeymoon turned into a fight neither of them forgot and it revealed something most couples learn the hard way: marriage problems are rarely about the sombrero. We are joined by Adam and Carissa King from the Dear Young Mar...
Conversation with Stu Streeter (Classic)
Stu Streeter is a church planter, a pastor, and oversees church planting for the North American Baptist denomination. He shares with us his journey to know Christ and how that impacted his life. He also recently completed a sabbatical and talke...
Conversation with Robert Acker
A lot of leaders talk about “finishing well” like it is a slogan. Rob Acker has lived it, from a youth group of eight kids to decades of pastoral leadership, church planting, and the slow work of staying healthy. JD and I start with a personal ...
Conversation with Geoff Wells (Classic)
If you have ever been to an Excel Discovery Center, then you have probably met today's guest. From its beginnings, Geoff Wells and his wife Sharon have been a part of Excel Leadership Network. As a retired Army officer, he is often referred to ...
Converstation with John Jackson (Classic)
In this episode, JD has a conversation with Dr. John Jackson. He is currently serving as the President of William Jessup University. In his ministry life, he has been a church pastor, a church planter, and a mission leader of a denomination. He...
Conversation with Peyton Jones (2026)
If your church can draw a crowd but struggles to develop leaders, you’re not alone and you’re not stuck. We sit down with church planter and author Peyton Jones to get painfully practical about the missing link behind sustainable church plantin...
Conversation with Paul Taylor (Classic)
Paul is almost as passionate about Georgia Bulldogs football as he is about reaching people with the saving message of the gospel. A church planter at heart, Paul planted Rivers Crossing Community Church in 2007. Rivers Crossing is passionate a...
Conversation with Jon Wong
A search for belonging can make you fearless in all the wrong ways, and Jon Wong knows that story from the inside. Jon joins us from Vancouver, Canada, and walks us through growing up as the only Asian kid in his class, navigating third culture...
Conversation with Tom Mercer (Classic)
J.D.'s guet on this episode is Tom Mercer. Odds are, if you have worked in ministry, you have probably read at least one of Tom's many books. He gew up in a Christain homa and his father was a pastor. Tom had always thought he would go into the...
Conversation with Harry Kelm
A conference leader who still loves being a Sunday greeter sounds simple until you hear what he’s carried. Harry Kelm joins us from Edmonton, Alberta to tell the story behind 37 years of pastoral ministry and his current role as executive direc...
Conversation with Luke Allen (Classic)
In this episode, you will hear from Luke Allen. Not only a church planter that has planted other churches out of his own, but the COO of Excel Leadership Network. You will be encouraged by his journey, and after listening, you may feel the need...
Conversation with Patrick Davis
A teenager running drugs in Cleveland. A loaded gun in his pocket at church. A home invasion charge that could have meant decades behind bars. Patrick Davis’s story doesn’t soften the details, and that’s exactly why it lands so hard. We talk wi...
Conversation with Larry Osborne (Classic)
Larry Osborne is a pastor, author, mentor, and leadership consultant. He pioneered several concepts that shape our modern church today, teaching teams, multisite churches, and sermon-based small groups. Larry shares his own journey and how his ...
Conversation with Chris and Shelly Allen
Faith gets real when the plan stops working. We sit down with Chris and Shelly from Dayton to trace a path that starts in youth ministry, runs through bold church-plant dreams, and lands in the tough middle: excellent services, strong systems, ...
Conversation with Ralph Moore (Classic)
Ralph Moore has been tied to more church plants than anyone in North America. He planted churches in Southern California and Hawaii and has a family tree that includes over 2300 churches! Ralph lives in San Diego with his wife, Ruby...
Conversation with Jeff Crandall
A teenage promise forged in a camp chapel changed the course of Jeff Crandall’s life. From growing up with MLB legend Del Crandall as dad to drumming in one of the first Christian punk bands, Jeff’s story bends through unexpected turns toward a...
Conversation with Garrett Nates
A minute-long phone call from an unknown Phoenix number set off a chain of events that brought Garrett Nates back to Colorado to lead a 70-year-old church—and to champion a bold, sustainable plan to plant three new congregations in nine years a...