Leading Conversations
Conversations between J.D. Pearring, Director of Excel Leadership Network, and church planting leaders, innovators, and coaches from around the country.
Episodes
146 episodes
Conversation with Scott Pearring (Classic)
One small decision on a Thursday night at UCLA nearly sent Scott Perring down a completely different path, and a surprising conversation outside a Starbucks pulled him back. We talk through that tipping-point story in detail, including what it ...
Conversation with Chad Wilson
A church plant can look bold from the outside, but from the inside it often feels like slow trust, long commutes, folding chairs, and prayer that has to turn into action. We sit down with Chad Wilson, a pastor and church planter in Longmont, Co...
Conversation with Jim Kennon (Classic)
A seventh grader shows up at a church revival alone, terrified of what surrender might cost, and walks out with a peace he cannot explain. Then his sister follows. Then his parents. That kind of chain reaction is rare, and it sets the tone for ...
Conversation with Todd WIlson
He trained to be a nuclear engineer, got recruited into the Navy’s elite nuclear world, and ended up overseeing thousands of people far earlier than most leaders ever will. Then Todd Wilson made a move that looked irrational on a spreadsheet: h...
Paul Mints (Classic)
A church business meeting can either harden you or forge you. Paul Mints watched his father get publicly attacked in a toxic church setting and walked out thinking, “I will never do what my dad did.” Years later, after God’s relentless pursuit ...
Conversation with Jeremy Cleveland
Northern Colorado is booming, but growth doesn’t automatically mean spiritual connection. We talk with Jeremy Cleveland, lead pastor of Zeal City Church, about what it looks like to plant a life-giving, gospel-centered church in the NoCo corrid...
Conversation with Stephen Fussle (Classic)
As a church planter or leader, this thought has probably crossed your mind; my work would be much easier if my church were located on a beautiful island paradise in the Pacific. It turns out the opposite is true. Stefen and Amber Fussle launche...
A Conversation with Joemel Delossantos
A church planting assessment tells a couple they have no business planting, and the punchline is they’re already doing it. That’s where JD sits down with Joemel Delossantos, a San Diego local raised in a small Filipino church, to trace the real...
Conversation with Chris Hall (Classic)
Chris Hall is the Lead Pastor at Catalyst Church Ventura. His passion for church planting and church planting pastors is only matched by his skills as a professional inline skater. Chris' experience has developed him into a valuable resource as...
Conversation with Chad and Magan Swaringen
A church plant rarely starts with certainty, and that’s what makes Chad and Magan Swearing’s story so useful. We sit down with the Bold City Church leaders from Burleson, Texas to talk about what calling really looks like when you’re not chasin...
Conversation with Jack Hamilton (Classic)
Some people have been in ministry for a long time and have been a part of some great movements, and then there is Jack Hamilton. He has done both and more. In today's conversation, you will hear Jack's story from the beginning and how God carri...
Conversation with Max Critchfield
You can’t “growth hack” a church into existence, and you definitely can’t fake a calling to a place you don’t love. We talk with Bay Area church planter Max Critchfield about what happens when God takes a teenager who only wanted the service to...
Conversation with Brett and Karla Burner (Classic)
Brett and Karla Burner, from Spring Valley, California near San Diego, are from two different backgrounds and countries. They met at a summer camp and have been together ever since. Brett jumped into ministry. Bible studies led to teaching, whi...
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...