Conversations for young pastors building something that lasts. No polish, no performance — just authentic talk about ministry, leadership, and the things nobody prepared you for.
Hosted by Thomas Lee, founder of Young Pastor Network, each episode is a transparent conversation with a pastor or leader navigating ministry — youth, young adult, associate, and lead pastors in their 20s and 30s. Expect conversations about leadership, communication, burnout, and building teams.
Thomas Lee sits down with Nate Richie and Jordan McClarnon to talk about what it takes to preach and teach well in young adult ministry. They get into how much to talk about dating and relationships, how each of them plans a full year of sermons, and how years in youth ministry shaped the way they communicate now. Nate explains why vulnerability without relatability means nothing, Jordan shares the feedback process that has made him a better communicator in one year than the previous ten, and both talk about sermon length, finding your own voice, and who they listen to when they want to get better.
Conversations for young pastors building something that lasts.
If you’re in a season where you’re trying to figure out what your ministry needs, visit youngpastornetwork.com to learn how Young Pastor Network can help.
Connect with the team:
Thomas Lee — Founder, Young Pastor Network
Instagram: @itisthomaslee | @youngpastornetwork
Nate Richie — Next Gen Pastor, Grace Family Church (Tampa, FL)
Instagram: @nathan_richie
Jordan McClarnon — Young Adult Pastor, Crossroads Church (Cincinnati, OH)
Instagram: @jordanmcclarnon
2 Sept 2026
Leadership Isn't Lonely
Thomas Lee sits down with Jordan Arce and Anthony Lucarini for a conversation on mentorship, capacity, pastoring, and what it looks like to lead well without carrying it alone. Anthony breakds down his "i1, i2, i3" framework for building circles of trust, Jordan shares how to approach a mentor with clarity and honor, and both pastors get honest about the toll of high demand seasons of ministry, family, and leadership. The conversation lands on something every young pastor needs to hear: your lead pastor is human too.
Conversations for young pastors building something that lasts.
If you're in a season where you're trying to figure out what your ministry needs, visit youngpastornetwork.com (http://youngpastornetwork.com) to learn how Young Pastor Network can help.
Connect with the team:
Thomas Lee - Founder, Young Pastor Network
@itisthomaslee | @youngpastornetwork
Jordan Arce - Lead Pastor, Wellspring Church
@jordanarce_
Anthony Lucarini - Next Gen Pastor, Lowcountry Community Church
@anthonylucarini
11 Aug 2026
Take The Risk
Thomas Lee sits down with Pastor Luke Lezon, lead pastor at Quay Church in Windermere, Florida, to talk through the years of preparation nobody sees before the "overnight success" everyone celebrates. Luke opens up about a season that felt like sitting on the bench (and, if he's honest, feeling like a loser) that turned out to be the exact refinement God used to prepare him to lead. They talk through what it took to rebuild Quay Church after a painful split, why language creates culture, and why every dream has to survive a few nightmares before you know it's really from God. Luke closes with the mantra that's shaped his whole ministry: take the risk, because it's easy to take a risk when you're resting in God.
Conversations for young pastors building something that lasts. No polish, no performance, just honest talk about ministry, leadership, and the things nobody prepared you for.
If you're in a season where you're trying to figure out what your ministry needs, visit youngpastornetwork.com (http://youngpastornetwork.com) to learn how Young Pastor Network can help.
Connect with the team:
Thomas Lee — Founder, Young Pastor Network
Instagram: @itisthomaslee | @youngpastornetwork
Luke Lezon — Lead Pastor, Quay Church (Windermere, FL)
Instagram: @lukelezon
11 Aug 2026
Find Your On-Mission Call
Thomas Lee sits down with Dr. Terry Parkman, a friend, mentor, and Next Gen & Global Ministries pastor at River Valley Church, for a conversation packed with wisdom on calling, leadership, and staying spiritually grounded while God expands your influence. Terry unpacks what it means to operate prophetically without being weird about it, why old models of ministry ("old maps") are failing in a rapidly changing world, and how polycentric leadership and decentralization free young leaders to build sustainable ministries. He also walks through how to find the single thread, your on-mission call, that ties every "yes" and "no" together so you know exactly what you're building your life around.
Conversations for young pastors building something that lasts. No polish, no performance, just honest talk about ministry, leadership, and the things nobody prepared you for.
If you're in a season where you're trying to figure out what your ministry needs, visit youngpastornetwork.com (http://youngpastornetwork.com) to learn how Young Pastor Network can help.
Connect with the team:
Thomas Lee — Founder, Young Pastor Network
Instagram: @itisthomaslee | @youngpastornetwork
Dr. Terry Parkman — Next Gen & Global Ministries Pastor, River Valley Church
Instagram: @terryparkman
2 Jul 2026
Ministry in Your Twenties
Thomas Lee sits down with Jordan Arce and Anthony Lucarini — two pastors who've spent their entire twenties inside local ministry — to talk through what actually changes as you grow up in ministry. They dig into the shift from being covered by a pastor to becoming the covering yourself, why your twenties are a season of discovery rather than mastery, how comparison quietly shapes (and derails) young leaders, and the money conversations most young pastors are afraid to have. Expect authentic, reflective conversation on formation, calling, and the things nobody tells you before you start.
Conversations for young pastors building something that lasts. No polish, no performance — just authentic talk about ministry, leadership, and the things nobody prepared you for.
If you're in a season where you're trying to figure out what your ministry actually needs, visit youngpastornetwork.com (http://youngpastornetwork.com) to learn how Young Pastor Network can help.
Connect with the team:
Thomas Lee — Founder, Young Pastor Network
Instagram: @itisthomaslee | @youngpastornetwork
Jordan Arce — Lead Pastor, Wellspring Church (Jersey Shore, NJ)
Instagram: @jordanarce_
Website: https://wellspring.one/ (https://wellspring.one/)
Anthony Lucarini — Next Gen Pastor, Lowcountry Community Church (Bluffton, SC)
Instagram: @anthonylucarini
Website: https://www.lowcountrycc.org/ (https://www.lowcountrycc.org/)
2 Jul 2026
Stop Comparing Your Young Adult Ministry to Everyone Else's
Thomas Lee sits back down with Nate Richie and Jordan McClarnon to keep the conversation going on young adult ministry — this time getting into the question everyone assumes has an answer but doesn't: what actually counts as a "young adult"? They dig into why there's no agreed-upon age range, how your church's own capacity and calling should shape who you're reaching (not what the ministry down the street is doing), and why excellence has nothing to do with size. Expect honest conversation on comparison, clarity, and building a ministry your church actually has the capacity to sustain.
Conversations for young pastors building something that lasts. No polish, no performance — just authentic talk about ministry, leadership, and the things nobody prepared you for.
If you're in a season where you're trying to figure out what your ministry actually needs, visit youngpastornetwork.com (http://youngpastornetwork.com) to learn how Young Pastor Network can help.
Connect with the team:
Thomas Lee — Founder, Young Pastor Network
Instagram: @itisthomaslee | @youngpastornetwork
Nate Richie — Next Gen Pastor, Grace Family Church
Instagram: @nathan_richie
Jordan McClarnon — Young Adult Pastor, Crossroads Church
Instagram: @jordanmcclarnon
1 Jul 2026
Why Young Adult Ministry Needs Innovation and Integration
Every young adult pastor eventually asks the same question: do we need to innovate — new formats, new approaches, new energy — or integrate young adults into the life of the church? Or is it actually both?
In this episode, Thomas Lee sits down with Nate Richie (Next Gen Pastor, Grace Family Church, Tampa, FL) and Jordan McClarnon (Young Adult Pastor, Crossroads Church, Cincinnati, OH) — both coaches with Young Pastor Network — to dig into this tension from two different ministry contexts. They talk through what innovation and integration actually look like in practice, and how learning to hold both can work in your favor rather than forcing you to choose.
If you're in a season where you're trying to figure out what your ministry actually needs, visit youngpastornetwork.com (http://youngpastornetwork.com) to learn how Young Pastor Network can help.
Connect with the team:
Thomas Lee — Founder, Young Pastor Network
Instagram: @itisthomaslee | @youngpastornetwork
Nate Richie — Next Gen Pastor, Grace Family Church
Instagram: @nathan_richie | @gfctheexchange
Jordan McClarnon — Young Adult Pastor, Crossroads Church
Instagram: @jordanmcclarnon | @crsrdsya
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