Leading Conversations

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, cancer and malignant. Initially feeling abandoned by God, Dave tells JD how he saw purpose through the challenge and how it has changed his life. Listen to his story today, and you will be encouraged. Originally Posted June 1, 2023 Send us Fan Mail We...

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 talked about the importance of taking time to refresh and renew and what it looks like to return to active ministry. Document: Ambition The Driver of Isolation Originally Posted April 16, 2021 Send us Fan Mail We want to help you find your next steps in mini...

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 clear calling: serve people, build teams, and give small churches the tools they rarely receive. If you care about worship that includes the whole room, about healthy teams in small churches, and about reaching people who feel forgotten, this conversa...

A camp quiet time, a seven‑minute first sermon, and a calling that survived Seattle headwinds, LA creativity, and an Austin reset—Eric Bryant joins us to trace a lived map of ministry that is honest, hopeful, and deeply practical. We open with his world in South Austin, where skepticism runs high and belonging often precedes belief. Eric unpacks how his team builds space for spiritual explorers, why no‑phone camps still change lives, and what it takes to disciple people in a culture allergic ...

A clear plan, a humble posture, and one simple patio moment—that’s how a baton gets passed and a church keeps moving. We sit down with James Grogan, lead pastor of EastLake Church in San Diego, to explore what healthy succession actually looks like when a larger-than-life founder hands leadership to a different kind of leader, and why clarity and security beat charisma and ambiguity every time. James traces his path from a vibrant Illinois pastor’s home to two summers of nonstop preaching re...

Sean Morgan's path from disillusioned churchgoer to ministry leader unfolds as a powerful testimony of God's patient pursuit. Growing up in a Christian environment but becoming lukewarm in his faith, Sean details three pivotal incidents that pushed him away from organized religion—a church staff member abandoned during divorce, an elder involved in a murder, and a youth leader refusing to support a troubled young person. For years, he maintained belief in God while rejecting His church. The ...

Andrew McDonald never imagined he'd become a pastor, let alone a church planter. Growing up in eastern Canada, church was something you endured weekly while wearing uncomfortable clothes—a religious obligation completely disconnected from daily life. After pursuing what he thought would bring fulfillment—parties, marriage, career success, and material possessions—he found himself at 22 with everything he'd wanted yet feeling "empty and hollow." In a moment of spiritual honesty, Andrew prayed...