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 reps, then into the diverse fabric of South San Diego. He shares why he paused planting to learn inside EastLake’s thriving culture—and how that decision compressed hard lessons into an apprenticeship that still bears fruit. We dive into the written, date-bound succession plan that worked because both leaders were secure: the outgoing pastor gave authority away freely, and the incoming pastor didn’t grasp for titles or control. The result was continuity, trust, and momentum.

Send us Fan Mail

We want to help you find your next steps in ministry.
Connect here with EXCEL. 

The story starts with two very different paths to faith—one raised in church but resistant to ministry, the other the first Christian in her family who woke up changed at seventeen. Those paths converged years later, when we compared dreams on a first date and said the quiet part out loud: we felt called to plant and pastor a church. The only mystery left was where. The answer became Chicago—its food, architecture, and energy, yes, but also its honest mix of beauty and brokenness. For Sarah, returning to her hometown felt impossible until a moment looking down from a departing plane turned resistance into a clear invitation: come back for redemption.

They moved in 2019 with a solid plan—team, timeline, funding—and watched it collapse within months as the pandemic swept through the city. Our people left. Support paused. The playbook evaporated. What remained was presence: loving literal neighbors, sharing backyard meals, praying simple prayers, and letting a table culture do the work a stage couldn’t. That season changed our approach and our hearts. We traded a metrics-first mindset for formation-first habits, asking what God wanted to build in us before anything He might build through us. Humility, integrity, and self-awareness became non-negotiables, and a small daily prayer—“God, give me one connection”—kept us moving with faith instead of frenzy.

Send us Fan Mail

We want to help you find your next steps in ministry.
Connect here with EXCEL. 

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 turning point came during an unforgettable spiritual encounter at 3 a.m. on a Pacifica beach, where Sean finally surrendered to God's call. What he imagined would be a brief year or two helping his local church blossomed into nearly a decade of full-time ministry before God redirected his path to serving multiple churches.

Now leading the Ascent Leader, Sean creates transformative cohort experiences where pastors find authentic community away from boardroom politics. His longest-running group has met faithfully for over nine years, demonstrating the power of peer ministry relationships. "The living room environment is always more relational and connectional and honest and pure," Sean explains, contrasting it with the pretentiousness that often characterizes organizational leadership spaces.

Send us Fan Mail

We want to help you find your next steps in ministry.
Connect here with EXCEL. 

Dominique Beaumont's life reads like a modern-day parable of divine orchestration. Born to a severely schizophrenic mother who worked as a prostitute, Dominique bounced between foster homes until landing with a Pentecostal foster mother who introduced him to church. What followed was nothing short of miraculous—at just eight years old, he felt drawn to ministry, organizing "churches" with his cousins and stuffed animals, complete with offering collections and maple bar communion.

The podcast takes a stunning turn when Dominique reveals a recent discovery. After conducting an Ancestry.com DNA test, he learned his biological father was the founder of a prominent Los Angeles gang. Though his father passed away before they could meet, Dominique discovered his father had written a book revealing his own spiritual journey and call to ministry—an incredible confirmation of the inexplicable pull toward preaching Dominique had felt his entire life.

Despite his early calling, Dominique's path wasn't straightforward. During college, he rebelled against being known as "preacher boy," joining a fraternity and distancing himself from church. It took a supernatural encounter during graduate school in Las Vegas to reignite his commitment to ministry. Now, he's planting a church specifically targeting those who, like himself, didn't experience faith through traditional family structures—foster youth, young adults, and those needing transformational encounters with Jesus.

Send us Fan Mail

We want to help you find your next steps in ministry.
Connect here with EXCEL. 

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 what he calls "the worst prayer I ever prayed," asking God to make him need God. Within a month, his life collapsed as his marriage ended, his company went bankrupt, and he lost everything. But instead of becoming bitter, Andrew recognized something profound happening: "While everything in my life was chaos, there was a sense of peace and purpose that I experienced in the midst of the brokenness."

For leaders wondering if they're on the right path, Andrew offers this hard-earned wisdom: "Just because you're a good communicator doesn't mean you're good at communication," and "just because you are a gifted leader doesn't mean that you are leading well." His journey reminds us that authentic leadership isn't about executing our perfect plan, but about recognizing when God is redirecting us toward something better. As he puts it simply: "To us it makes no sense, but God knows better than we do."

Send us Fan Mail

We want to help you find your next steps in ministry.
Connect here with EXCEL. 

The power of the local church to transform lives sits at the heart of Spencer and Sarah Green's remarkable story. When a youth pastor Spencer only knew as "the more than enough guy" (because he always brought extra pizza to school) became the lifeline that saved him from suicide, he discovered what genuine Christian community could be. Having lost 33 loved ones to addiction, violence and suicide, Spencer found in the church what his broken family couldn't provide—acceptance, belonging, and purpose.

Sarah's journey contrasts sharply with her husband's. Raised in a Christian home, her faith crumbled when her severely disabled sister suffered endlessly from complications of bacterial meningitis. "By middle school, I never doubted God existed, but I hated his guts," she confesses. Through patient mentoring at the same church that would later save Spencer, Sarah rebuilt her understanding of God's character, recognizing His presence even in suffering.

When these two met in college and discovered they attended the same church, they had no idea God was weaving their stories together for a purpose. Unlike many church planters motivated by dissatisfaction, the Greens planted from gratitude: "The local church saved us. It is family, and there has to be more churches like that because the world needs it."

Send us Fan Mail

We want to help you find your next steps in ministry.
Connect here with EXCEL. 

What does a world champion roller skater, a transformative mission trip to India, and a text message church merger have in common? They're all part of Sean Arisco's extraordinary journey into church planting and leadership.

Sean's path began far from ministry, competing as a professional roller figure skater and representing the United States internationally. Though raised in a Christian home with early evangelistic zeal (preaching to strangers in grocery store lines), his teenage faith wandered until a powerful encounter with the Holy Spirit at age 15 set him on a new trajectory. Despite initial plans to pursue law and politics, Sean found himself drawn to ministry through mentorship and a defining moment preaching to thousands in rural India.

The heart of Sean's story centers on his Sacramento church plant, launched just four weeks before COVID-19 shut everything down. From ambitious growth plans to watching attendance plummet, then rebuilding only to face the "California exodus" of families leaving the state—Sean's resilience through these challenges offers powerful lessons for ministry leaders. Perhaps most remarkable was the unexpected merger that began with a simple text message from another pastor and culminated in joining two congregations in just eight weeks.

Through these experiences, Sean discovered what truly matters in ministry: "Our calling is sacred, but it's not about the type of church we're building—it's about the person we're becoming." This profound realization came after recognizing his own spiritual depletion while building the church. His vulnerability in sharing how he'd grown distant from Jesus while growing his ministry serves as a powerful reminder that God's work in us always precedes His work through us.

Send us Fan Mail

We want to help you find your next steps in ministry.
Connect here with EXCEL. 

What happens when rigid religious rules collide with authentic faith? Jon Groves takes us on a remarkable journey from his beginnings as a fourth-generation preacher's kid to finding freedom beyond the confines of legalism.

At just eight years old, Jon delivered his first sermon standing on a stepping stool behind the pulpit. Growing up in an environment where shorts were forbidden, movies were sinful, and bacon was off-limits, he eventually found himself excommunicated from both family and church for daring to read from a non-King James Bible and incorporating contemporary worship music.

Through counseling and mentorship, Jon discovered a path forward that honored Scripture while embracing grace. His church planting journey—first without network support or significant funding, and now in Orlando, Florida's fourth most unchurched metropolitan area—reveals the power of putting relationship before religion.

Whether you're a seasoned ministry leader or someone searching for authentic faith beyond the boundaries of tradition, this conversation will challenge and inspire you to keep moving forward in your own journey.

Send us Fan Mail

We want to help you find your next steps in ministry.
Connect here with EXCEL. 

Rick McKinley's remarkable journey from partying at Chico State to establishing one of Portland's most influential churches reveals the transformative power of authentic faith and leadership. With refreshing candor, Rick shares how he wandered into a church on Palm Sunday thinking they were going to read his palm—a misunderstanding that ultimately led to a profound spiritual awakening.

Join us for this engaging conversation that will challenge your assumptions about church leadership, inspire you to embrace authentic ministry, and remind you of the foundational truth that might just transform everything: you are called to be loved, not merely used.

Send us Fan Mail

We want to help you find your next steps in ministry.
Connect here with EXCEL. 

What if your small church isn't broken? What if it's exactly the size it's meant to be?

In this illuminating conversation, third-generation pastor Karl Vaters shares his 32-year journey leading the same congregation and his revolutionary discovery that transformed his ministry: small churches aren't failed big churches—they're a strategic approach to effective ministry.

His message resonates deeply with the 90% of pastors leading congregations under 200 members: small isn't a problem to fix but a strategy to leverage. As Karl powerfully states, "Discipleship fixes everything" and "Integrity is the new competence"—challenging us to measure success not by attendance but by faithfulness and character.

Whether you lead a church of 50 or 5,000, Karl's wisdom will transform how you view effective ministry. Subscribe now and share this episode with a leader who needs this freeing perspective!

Send us Fan Mail

We want to help you find your next steps in ministry.
Connect here with EXCEL.