David Thompson, Executive Pastor at The Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, joins for a conversation spanning 20+ years of ministry alongside pastor JD Greear. David's origin story as an XP is a great one — when JD first offered him the role, he had no idea what an executive pastor even was, so he found a job description online, swapped in his own name, and brought it back to JD saying, "I think this is what I should do."

David speaks candidly about the two things he hears most from executive pastors nationally: tension with their senior pastor, and a pervasive sense of isolation that comes from not having anyone at their own church to process that tension with. He credits Summit's remarkable growth — from a vision of one 1,200-person campus to 13 campuses and over 100 church plants — to prayer, a willingness to set aside personal preferences for the sake of mission, and an unusual commitment to sending out their very best leaders rather than holding onto them. He also unpacks how Summit uses a simple framework (Essential, Priority, Optional, Discouraged) to keep campuses aligned with the church's DNA without micro-managing them.

The conversation turns personal as David describes working through burnout with a counselor, choosing sustainable rhythms over a one-time sabbatical, and how a tool called Inbox Pause transformed his mornings, his workouts, and his presence at home — while still honoring his team's expectations around responsiveness. He closes with the reminder every XP needs to hear: your growth is your own responsibility, so seek it out deliberately, in your walk with God and in your leadership development.