The Leadership Blog Interview: Pete Hise

Pete Hise

Bio
Pete Hise, a native New Yorker, is the Founding and Lead Pastor of Quest Community Church in Lexington, Kentucky. Over the last 9 ½ years, Quest has seen almost 5,000 people come to Christ and has been named the 44th Fastest-Growing Church in the U.S. with over 3,300 in attendance.

Pete gave his life to Christ on November 12, 1982 and has been completely transformed by the love of God. His dynamic teaching, compelling leadership and authentic relational evangelism have shaped the heartbeat and DNA of Quest – transforming unconvinced people into wholehearted followers of Jesus.
Pete loves the Dallas Cowboys, the local church…and hanging out with his wife Jacki and his boys, Corey and Carson.

Church: Quest Community Church

The Leadership Blog Interview Questions

1. What gives you the greatest joy in being a leader?
Pete: Provoking people to thrive. Investing in people and watching as they begin to realize their potential…initially by deciding to follow Jesus…and then as they learn to live out His expansive plans for their lives.

2. What is your biggest pet peeve as a leader?
Pete: People forgetting that this world is not our home.

3. Who made the biggest influence in your life as a leader?
Pete: Jesus – He loved me back from the dead and taught me to love people recklessly.
Keith Green – He lived the life of a Christian barbarian & helped me see that I could do the same.
Bill Hybels – His contagious love for the local church ambushed my heart & birthed the same love in me.

4. What books have changed your life?
Pete: The Word of God as it’s shaped me, my worldview & my life’s passion.
Bill Hybels’ Courageous Leadership… a book where my heart agrees with every line & I am energized to do what I was made to do.
Philip Yancey’s What’s So Amazing About Grace has painted pictures that continuously fan the flames of the grace I’ve never recovered from.

5.What's your biggest challenge as a leader?
Pete: The heartbreak of watching people I love and have invested in choose badly – and then crash and burn. Sometimes this is just caused by poor life choices, but I am particularly grieved when it happens through divisiveness and disunity. It breaks my heart – for them, for the church and for the heart of God.

6.What goals do you have as a leader?
Pete: To be more like Jesus this year than last, to see my heart race & break with the same things that make His heart race & break, to love people more tenaciously today than yesterday, to be true to my calling, & to be a loving father & husband. Mostly though…to make Jesus famous - leading as many people to Him as possible!

7.Where do you see yourself in ten years?
Pete: Serving Jesus, loving lost people, and having a blast loving the people of Quest Community Church with more passion and joy than ever…and loving my wife & sons like crazy.

The Growing Leadership Blog Interviews List

Here's the 70+ Great leaders & pastors that I've had the opportunity to interview!

Dr. Neil T. Anderson - Discipleship Counseling Ministries
Mark Batterson - National Community Church
John Bishop - Living Hope Church
Greg Boyd - Woodland Hills Church
Brian Boyle - West Ridge Church
Dave Browning - Christ the King Community Church
Bob Buford - Leadership Network
Rudy Carrasco - Harambee Christian Family Center
Matt Carter - Austin Stone Community Church
Doug Clay - General Treasurer of Assemblies of God
Wayne Cordeiro - New Hope Christian Fellowship O'ahu
Bil Cornelius - Bay Area Fellowship
Bob Coy - Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale
Buddy Cremeans - Northway Fellowship
Bill Easum -Easum, Bandy & Associates, Inc.
Tim Elmore - GrowingLeaders.com, EQUIP
Mark Evans - The Church at Rock Creek
Dave Ferguson - Community Christian Church
Dave Gibbons - New Song Church
Joseph Girdler - KY District of the A/G Superintendent
Troy Gramling - Flamingo Road Church
Craig Groeschel -Life Church
David Foster - Bellevue Community Church
Alton Garrison - Assemblies of God
Ted Haggard -New Life Church
Todd Hudson - Southeast Christian Church
Dr. Joel C. Hunter - Northland Church
Todd Hunter - Alpha USA
Dr. Walt Kallestad - Community Church of Joy
Guy Kawasaki - Author, The Art of the Start
Rob Ketterling - River Valley Church
Dan Kimball - Vintage Faith Church
Kyle Lake - University Baptist Church
Gary Lamb - Ridgestone Church
Mel Lawrenz - Elmbrook Church
Rod Loy - First Assembly of God
Max Lucado - Author
John Ed Mathison - Frazer UMC
Brian McLaren - Author
Erwin McManus -Mosaic
Bob Merritt - Eagle Brook Church
Tony Morgan -Granger Community Church
Sally Morgenthaler -Author
Doug Murren - Square One Ministries
Perry Noble - New Spring Church
Mark Oestreicher - Youth Specialties
Dr. Larry Osborne -North Coast Church
John Palmer – General Secretary of the Assemblies of God
Doug Pagitt - Solomon's Porch
Brad Powell - NorthRidge Church
Bill Purvis - Cascade Hills Church
Thom Rainer -Author, Lifeway President
Dan Reiland - Crossroads Community Church
Mac Richard - Lake Hills Church
Dino Rizzo - Healing Place Church
Bob Roberts - NorthWood Church
Greg Rohlinger - Palm Valley Community Church
Ed Rowell - Tri-Lakes Chapel
Bob Russell - Southeast Christian Church
Nelson Searcy - The Journey Church
Steve Sjogren -Vineyard Community Church
Toby Slough - Cross Timbers Community Church
Ed Stetzer - NAMB
Terry Storch - Fellowship Church
Greg Surratt - Seacoast Church
Stan Toler - Trinity Church of the Nazarene
Brian Tome - Crossroads Community Church
Thomas Trask - Assemblies of God
Dr. Randy Valimont - First Assembly of God
Mark Waltz - Granger Community Church
Dave Workman - Vineyard Community Church
Dr. George O. Wood - Assemblies of God
Ron Woods - Raleigh Assembly of God
Darlene Zschech - Hillsong