Pastor Lucas Miles started a church in Indiana at just 24 years old and grew it into a thriving congregation while building a career that now includes serving as Senior Director of Faith at Turning Point USA. When Pastor Lucas Miles joined Sean Kelly on the Digital Social Hour, he walked through that two-decade journey in detail, from the early struggles of starting a church to the convictions that have shaped his leadership since.
The conversation moves from the practical realities of building and running a church to the bigger questions Miles has spent his career wrestling with: what it means to lead with integrity, how faith intersects with culture, and how pastors can stay grounded in their calling even when it costs them something real.
About Pastor Lucas Miles
Lucas Miles is the founding pastor of a church in Indiana, where he has spent years building a congregation while navigating the pressures that come with public ministry, including a stretch in which he lost a significant portion of his congregation over doctrinal stances he chose not to compromise on.
Beyond the pulpit, Miles serves as Senior Director of Faith at Turning Point USA, where he works with pastors and faith leaders on questions of leadership, discipleship, and cultural engagement. He has become a recognizable voice on the intersection of faith and public life, drawing on his own experience building an organization from scratch.
What Pastor Lucas Miles and Sean Kelly Talked About
- How Pastor Lucas Miles built a church from scratch starting at age 24
- What it cost him to hold firm on his convictions, including losing part of his congregation
- His perspective on the cultural pressures he sees facing churches and pastors today
- How he approaches discipleship differently than celebrity-driven ministry models
- What he looks for in evaluating qualified pastoral leadership
- His take on reaching Gen Z and engaging younger generations around faith
- How he tries to keep his ego in check while leading a growing organization
- His work supporting pastors nationally through Turning Point USA's faith initiatives
Why This Conversation Matters
Conversations like this are exactly what the Digital Social Hour is built for: giving a guest room to move past the highlight reel and into the real cost and conviction behind their work. Pastor Lucas Miles's account of building a church and staying true to his beliefs offers a candid look at leadership under pressure, for anyone building something they believe in.
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About Sean Kelly & the Digital Social Hour
Sean Kelly is an entrepreneur and the host of the Digital Social Hour, one of the fastest-growing interview podcasts in the world, where he sits down with entrepreneurs, athletes, creators, and cultural voices for candid, long-form conversations. The show draws over 100 million views a month across platforms. Explore more guest features on SeanKelly.io.
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