Leading Conversations

Hosted by J.D. Pearring

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Episodes

145

Latest episode

Oct 2026

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About the show

Conversations between J.D. Pearring, Director of Excel Leadership Network, and church planting leaders, innovators, and coaches from around the country.

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60 recent

November 2, 2026Episode 14528 min

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 felt like to drift from Campus Crusade, wrestle with doubt, and then feel known, seen, and redirected through a timely friendship. If you’ve ever wondered how faith survives a season of questions, this part will stay with you. From there, we trace Scott’s journey from growing up as a church planter’s kid to stepping into a “non-ministry” calling that still serves the Church. He shares how he discovered Christian financial planning through mentorship, what it was like to launch a business with almost no revenue, and the moment things finally turned when he became a Dave Ramsey Endorsed Local Provider and started teaching in churches through Financial Peace University settings. We get specific about the grind, the risk, and the real numbers behind building something sustainable. If this conversation helps you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review so more leaders and families can find it. What’s the money question you want answered next? Originally Posted November 30, 2022 Send us Fan Mail We want to help you find your next steps in ministry. Connect here with EXCEL .

October 26, 2026Episode 14432 min

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, Colorado, to trace the full arc: growing up third-generation in ministry, running hard in rebellion, and then finding his way back when a dusty Bible and the book of Proverbs finally became personal. Chad shares what changed internally before anything changed externally, and why that shift gave him joy, hope, and a reason to keep moving forward. We also dig into the real mechanics of parachute planting a church with no launch team. Chad explains going bivocational, building community through everyday life, and learning how a transient city can make people cautious until you prove you are staying. You will hear honest takeaways on church planting leadership, second-time guests, early discipleship, baptisms, and the hard wisdom of building a safe kids ministry and a sustainable volunteer bench. If you care about church planter health, bivocational ministry, and starting a church that becomes a true local community, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share this with a church planter, and leave a review so more leaders can find these stories. Send us Fan Mail We want to help you find your next steps in ministry. Connect here with EXCEL .

October 19, 2026Episode 14326 min

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 a conversation that keeps circling back to one question: what happens when you say yes to God even when you feel wildly unqualified? We sit down with pastor and church planter Jim Kennan to trace the road from basketball-first childhood to an unexpected call to ministry that arrived while he was counting road signs on the back roads of Ohio. Jim talks candidly about the pressure of leading tough, dysfunctional turnaround churches, the toll that long-haul stress can take, and the moment he stepped out of pastoral leadership because he was empty. If you care about sustainable ministry, church leadership health, and honest stories behind the platform, this one goes there. If you want practical church planting insight, fresh thinking on ministry to baby boomers, and leadership advice that actually holds up under pressure, press play. Subscribe, share this with a pastor or church planter, and leave a review with the lesson you’re taking into your week. Originally Posted February 1, 2024 Send us Fan Mail We want to help you find your next steps in ministry. Connect here with EXCEL .

October 12, 2026Episode 14240 min

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: he walked away from upward mobility and into ministry with no seminary track, no desire to be a lead pastor, and a deep sense that God was saying, “Trust me.” What followed wasn’t a tidy career change, it was a decades-long run of building practical infrastructure for church planting and multiplication. We talk through Todd’s “two conversions” story, how a small and unimpressive local church still became the place where truth landed, and why the earliest clues to calling often show up in childhood. From there, Todd explains how his engineer mindset turned into ministry entrepreneurship: creating Church Marketing Solutions as a business-for-mission, launching Passion for Planting to take administrative weight off planters, and learning firsthand why planters must stay focused on people, not endless tasks. If you care about church planting, leadership development, personal calling, and disciple making that reproduces, this conversation will challenge your scorecard and give you fresh language for what you’re sensing. Subscribe, share this with a leader who’s at a crossroads, and leave a review with the one takeaway you don’t want to forget. Send us Fan Mail We want to help you find your next steps in ministry. Connect here with EXCEL .

October 5, 2026Episode 14120 min

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 and a hard-won surrender, Paul finds himself stepping into the very calling he feared, with a story that blends early faith, family wounds, and the kind of clarity that only comes after obedience. Paul offers practical leadership coaching for church planters and lead pastors that applies far beyond church work. He breaks the leader’s job into four verbs: do, lead, lead leaders, and resource leaders and explains how shifting your time across those priorities helps a church (or any organisation) grow without getting stuck. If you care about church planting, leadership development, healthy teams, and sustainable ministry, this conversation delivers both story and strategy. Subscribe, share with a leader who needs it, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway. This episode originally posted February 15, 2022 Send us Fan Mail We want to help you find your next steps in ministry. Connect here with EXCEL .

September 28, 2026Episode 14026 min

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 corridor near Fort Collins and Windsor, where hundreds of thousands have little or no relationship with Christ. Along the way, we laugh about the quirks of a fast-growing region, then quickly get honest about the real reason we plant churches: people need Jesus. Jeremy shares the deeply personal story behind his leadership, including his family’s early ministry roots, his dad’s turnaround through the grace of the gospel, and how a devastating car accident shaped his path toward vocational ministry. We trace the practical steps too: training, early pastoral years in Houston, and the worship-night moment when Jeremy and Brittany sensed a clear call to church planting. Subscribe for more church planting and leadership conversations, share this with a pastor or leader who needs encouragement, and leave a review to help others find the show. Send us Fan Mail We want to help you find your next steps in ministry. Connect here with EXCEL .

September 21, 2026Episode 13926 min

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 launched Awakening church on the island of Maui. Beyond all the typical challenges faced when planting a church, they needed to find a way to navigate a resilient island culture. They established a healthy church community through their dedication to God's mission, involvement in their community, and overcoming personal setbacks. Listen and be encouraged. Originally posted January 31, 2022 Send us Fan Mail We want to help you find your next steps in ministry. Connect here with EXCEL .

September 14, 2026Episode 13831 min

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 path of ministry calling, early mistakes, and the kind of support that actually keeps leaders healthy. The conversation turns toward church planting in National City: launching with a tiny team, almost no funding, and a rented space that felt like a miracle until reality set in. Jomel unpacks the disappointment of a Zoom-based church planter assessment, the role of mentors and networks like Excel Leadership Network, and the turning point that came through a church planter residency offer from Shelton Markham. The biggest takeaway is simple and costly: love people, people over programs, souls over systems, because pastors are shepherds first. If you’re leading a church, planting one, or trying to rebuild after a setback, you’ll find language for what you’re carrying and practical clarity for what to do next. Subscribe, share this with a leader who needs encouragement, and leave a review with your biggest church planting lesson so far. Send us Fan Mail We want to help you find your next steps in ministry. Connect here with EXCEL .

September 7, 2026Episode 13729 min

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 a mentor and a coach for new church planters. You will be encouraged by his story. Originally Posted September 30, 2021 Send us Fan Mail We want to help you find your next steps in ministry. Connect here with EXCEL .

August 31, 2026Episode 13635 min

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 chasing a platform, you’re trying to be obedient. Chad shares how faith began for him through a bus ministry and grew through the hard clarity of Marine Corps life after Iraq. Megan shares what it means to grow up in church, then choose Jesus for yourself when no one is making you show up anymore. Then comes the story neither of them will forget: giving $10,000 to help another church plant while their own budget felt tight, wrestling through the emotions the next day, and watching God provide in a way they didn’t orchestrate. We end with leadership takeaways on honour, generosity, anchoring decisions in Scripture, and building teams early so the mission never depends on one exhausted couple. Subscribe, share this with a church planter or leader you respect, and leave a review so more people can find these stories of faith, courage, and practical leadership. Send us Fan Mail We want to help you find your next steps in ministry. Connect here with EXCEL .