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The Backstage Pastors Podcast

The Backstage Pastors Podcast

By: Phil Taylor and Tyler Drewitz
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 The Backstage Pastors Podcast is dedicated to the unique challenges and opportunities facing executive pastors and second-chair leaders in churches and nonprofits. Hosts Phil Taylor and Tyler Drewitz share hard-earned insights and introduce listeners to diverse leaders doing meaningful work behind the scenes. Together, they offer practical, actionable conversations designed to strengthen the ministries and people they quietly support.Phil Taylor and Tyler Drewitz Christianity Spirituality
Episodes
  • David Fletcher on Pastoral Compensation

    David Fletcher on Pastoral Compensation
    Mar 18 2026
    In this episode of Backstage Pastors™️ Phil and Tyler sit down with David Fletcher, founder of XPastor.org, one of the most comprehensive resource hubs for executive pastors. David shares the origin story of his work, which began out of a lack of available research and has grown into a platform with thousands of resources and hundreds of thousands of annual users.The conversation explores practical tools available to executive pastors, including free courses, weekly webinars, and a robust salary database built from billions of dollars of church compensation data. David explains how churches can leverage this data for better, more objective compensation decisions and discusses the value of independent compensation studies.David is a wealth of knowledge gleaned from years of serving executive pastors — and from being one.Resources Mentioned💻 ⁠⁠⁠XPastor.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠💲⁠Salary ForecasterFrom Our Partners💻 ⁠The Church Hub⁠: The Church Hub serves pastors, ministry leaders, and their spouses through equipping and training resources. Learn more at ⁠⁠https://thechurchhub.org⁠⁠ Connect with Phil Taylor✉️⁠⁠ ⁠Get Phil's Newsletter⁠⁠⁠✉️ ⁠⁠phil@backstagepastors.org⁠⁠🗣️⁠⁠ ⁠⁠@philtaylorxp⁠⁠⁠⁠ 📚⁠⁠ ⁠Books by Phil⁠⁠⁠💻⁠⁠ ⁠backstagepastors.org⁠™️⁠⁠💻⁠⁠⁠plainjoestudios.com⁠⁠⁠ Connect with Tyler Drewitz✉️ ⁠⁠tyler@myxp.church⁠⁠🗣️⁠⁠ ⁠⁠@tylerdrewitz⁠⁠⁠⁠💻⁠⁠ ⁠myxp.church⁠⁠⁠💻⁠⁠⁠ridgelineprinting.com⁠⁠⁠The best way to support this podcast is to like, subscribe and share it with a friend.LIKE & SUBSCRIBE📹⁠⁠ ⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠🍏⁠⁠ ⁠Apple⁠⁠⁠🎤⁠⁠ ⁠Spotify⁠⁠CHAPTERS01:34 Introducing David Fletcher & XPastor.org07:29 The Origin Story of XPastor10:00 Free Resources for Executive Pastors12:00 Courses, Webinars & Getting Started14:11 Compensation Data & Salary Forecaster17:00 Why Churches Need Compensation Studies23:41 Benefits, Trends & Staffing Insights27:39 The Retirement Crisis for Pastors29:13 Innovation, AI & Leadership Mindset– –Editing and Support by ⁠⁠The Good Podcast Co.⁠⁠
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    38 mins
  • XP Leadership in Unchurched Regions w/ Jeremy Peterson

    XP Leadership in Unchurched Regions w/ Jeremy Peterson
    Mar 4 2026
    In this episode of the Backstage Pastors Podcast™️ Phil and Tyler interview Jeremy Peterson, Executive Pastor at One Church in New Hampshire and a leader involved with the XP Summit. Jeremy shares his ministry journey from student ministry in Texas to leadership roles in multi-site churches and eventually serving in New England—one of the most unchurched regions in the United States. He explains the unique leadership and staffing challenges of ministry in that environment and how his church has responded by developing local leaders.Jeremy discusses the creation of a residency program at One Church to raise up leaders internally, emphasizing hands-on ministry training and leadership development. He also explains the purpose and structure of the XP Summit, a gathering designed specifically for executive pastors to connect, learn, and support each other in ministry leadership.Resources Mentioned🗣️ ⁠XP Summit⁠⛪️ ⁠One Church⁠Unstuck Event: Church Building Masterclass⁠ with Phil TaylorFrom Our Partners💻 ⁠The Church Hub⁠: The Church Hub serves pastors, ministry leaders, and their spouses through equipping and training resources. Learn more at ⁠https://thechurchhub.org⁠ Connect with Phil Taylor✉️⁠ ⁠Get Phil's Newsletter⁠⁠✉️ ⁠⁠phil@backstagepastors.org⁠⁠🗣️⁠ ⁠⁠@philtaylorxp⁠⁠⁠ 📚⁠ ⁠Books by Phil⁠⁠💻⁠ ⁠backstagepastors.org⁠™️⁠💻⁠⁠plainjoestudios.com⁠⁠ Connect with Tyler Drewitz✉️ ⁠⁠tyler@myxp.church⁠⁠🗣️⁠ ⁠⁠@tylerdrewitz⁠⁠⁠💻⁠ ⁠myxp.church⁠⁠💻⁠⁠ridgelineprinting.com⁠⁠The best way to support this podcast is to like, subscribe and share it with a friend.LIKE & SUBSCRIBE📹⁠ ⁠Youtube⁠⁠🍏⁠ ⁠Apple⁠⁠🎤⁠ ⁠Spotify⁠CHAPTERS03:00 Why the podcast originally paused five years ago07:00 Podcast swag and upcoming conferences09:30 Introducing guest Jeremy Peterson10:00 Jeremy’s ministry journey from Texas to New England13:00 Ministry challenges in unchurched regions19:00 Building a residency program for leadership development25:00 The story and purpose of the XP Summit34:00 Final reflections and upcoming guests– –Editing and Support by ⁠The Good Podcast Co.⁠
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    38 mins
  • Kyle Nabors on Cultivating a Well-Watered Garden vs. Well-Oiled Machine

    Kyle Nabors on Cultivating a Well-Watered Garden vs. Well-Oiled Machine
    Feb 18 2026
    In this episode, Phil and Tyler sit down with Kyle Nabors, a seasoned executive leader who has served in both large churches and global nonprofits. Kyle shares insights from decades of experience, including time at Kensington Church (a 10,000+ attendee church) and Mercy Ships, and reflects on leadership, culture, trust, and the nuanced role of the executive pastor.One of the central themes is Kyle’s well-known metaphor: the church as a well-watered garden versus a well-oiled machine. While certain systems require precision and predictability (finances, child safety, compliance), much of ministry leadership requires organic flexibility, attentiveness, and faith. Structure must serve mission—not the other way around.Throughout the conversation, you’ll be reminded that effective executive leadership isn’t about control—it’s about calibration. It’s about knowing the “blood type” of the organization, understanding the personality of the lead pastor, and helping clarify direction while cultivating culture.Resources Mentioned🗣️ Follow Kyle⛪️ Ward ChurchUnstuck Event: Church Building Masterclass with Phil TaylorFrom Our Partners💻 ⁠The Church Hub⁠: The Church Hub serves pastors, ministry leaders, and their spouses through equipping and training resources. Learn more at https://thechurchhub.org Connect with Phil Taylor✉️ ⁠Get Phil's Newsletter⁠✉️ ⁠⁠phil@backstagepastors.org⁠⁠🗣️ ⁠⁠@philtaylorxp⁠⁠ 📚 ⁠Books by Phil⁠💻 ⁠backstagepastors.org⁠™️💻⁠plainjoestudios.com⁠ Connect with Tyler Drewitz✉️ ⁠⁠tyler@myxp.church⁠⁠🗣️ ⁠⁠@tylerdrewitz⁠⁠💻 ⁠myxp.church⁠💻⁠ridgelineprinting.com⁠The best way to support this podcast is to like, subscribe and share it with a friend.LIKE & SUBSCRIBE📹 ⁠Youtube⁠🍏 ⁠Apple⁠🎤 ⁠SpotifyCHAPTERS00:00 – Introduction to Kyle Nabors04:00 – Kyle’s Leadership Journey: Military, Business, Nonprofit & Church09:00 – The Lunch That Sparked a Book11:53 – Structure Must Serve the Mission15:00 – Trust: The Currency of the Executive Pastor21:19 – Backstage Leadership at Kensington Church25:00 – Diagnosing Before Prescribing31:54 – Thriving, Authenticity & Spiritual Health36:00 – Navigating Church vs. Nonprofit Culture43:48 – Return on Investment, Direction & Stewardship– –Editing and Support by The Good Podcast Co.
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    52 mins
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