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Latest Episodes:

Pour Out and Fill Up: Ben Cachiaras on Rest, Boundaries, and Holy Ambition (Part 2) | PT 137 Aug 25, 2025

Show notes

How do pastors pour themselves out for others without losing their own soul?

In Part 2 of this conversation, Ben Cachiaras reflects on the dangers of achievement addiction, the symptoms of ministry at an unsustainable pace, and the practices that helped him and his staff find a healthier rhythm of life and leadership. From numbing emotions to creating a staff-wide REST policy, Ben shares the hard-won lessons of thriving in ministry without losing holy ambition.

🎙️ In This Episode:

The signs of burnout pastors often minimize or ignore
Why achievement can become an addiction in ministry
Creating a culture of health through the REST policy
Holding urgency for the gospel and soul care in tension

⏱️ Timestamps:

02:00 – Ben’s story of overcommitment and achievement addiction

07:00 – Symptoms of burnout: numbness, resentment, escapes

13:00 – When staff intervention became a turning point

19:00 – False dichotomies of soul care vs. gospel urgency

25:00 – How Mountain Church institutionalized rest

31:00 – REST policy: relax, exercise, social, time with God

35:00 – Final reflections and resources

Thriving in ministry doesn’t mean abandoning holy ambition—it means learning the rhythm of pouring yourself out and allowing God to fill you back up.

Made for This: Ben Cachiaras on Calling, Longevity, and Evangelism That Sticks (Part 1) | PT 136 Aug 18, 2025

Show notes

What does it look like to serve a 200-year-old church that’s still bursting with life?

Pastor Ben Cachiaras of Mountain Christian Church has spent nearly three decades leading with holy ambition, holding together the call to discipleship and evangelism. His story is one of clarity, perseverance, and joy in ministry that truly “fits like a glove."

🎙️ In This Episode:

Ben’s early call to ministry through his grandfather’s powerful invitation
Why discipleship and evangelism aren’t opposites and how they thrive together
The challenge of staying faithful for the long haul in one place
Discernment in ministry: when to persevere and when it might be time to go

⏱️ Timestamps:

07:00 – A clear and undeniable call to ministry

13:00 – The role of the church in affirming pastoral callings

20:00 – Discovering his heart for evangelism and discipleship together

28:00 – What sustains 28 years at Mountain Christian Church

34:00 – Perseverance, “remaining under,” and knowing when to stay or go

Pastoral ministry may not always be easy, but when it fits your calling, it can become the most joy-filled way to spend your life.

Sacred Starts: Why Mornings and Boundaries Matter in Ministry | PT 135 Aug 11, 2025

Show notes

How do pastors actually “do it all”?

In this lively, behind-the-scenes conversation, Mark Quanstrom and Tara Beth Leach pull back the curtain on their rhythms of ministry, family life, writing, and rest.

From the myth of busyness to the art of batch working, they share practical ways to sustain pastoral life without burning out—and why mornings might be the most important part of the day.

CLICK HERE to Pre-Purchase The Great Morning by Tara Beth Leach

CLICK HERE to Purchase Threads by Tara Beth Leach

🎙️ In This Episode:

The myth of “doing it all” and how pastors can set realistic expectations
How batch working creates space for ministry, writing, and family
The heart behind The Great Morning Revolution and starting the day with the Lord
Why taking extended time away is essential for long-term ministry health

⏱️ Timestamps:

02:00 – The myth of “doing it all” in pastoral ministry

05:00 – Batch working and protecting focused time

08:00 – Inside Tara Beth’s Threaded Bible study

09:00 – The story and practices behind The Great Morning Revolution

15:00 – Mark’s morning prayer rhythm and sacred spaces

18:00 – Ministry health and the necessity of time away

24:00 – Building churches that don’t revolve around the pastor

27:00 – Final encouragement: mornings with God, time away, and a nourished mind

A sustainable ministry life isn’t about hustling harder; it’s about stewarding your mornings, protecting your time, and trusting that the church is Christ’s to hold, not yours.

Staying Power: What Sustains Long-Term Ministry | PT 134 Aug 04, 2025

Show notes

Ministry can be both deeply rewarding and painfully exhausting.

In this conversation, Tara Beth Leach and Mark Quanstrom open up about what keeps them in pastoral ministry after decades of challenges, transitions, and spiritual fatigue. From the support of their spouses to the importance of theological education, they reflect honestly on what sustains them when things get hard.

Learn more about The DMin in Pastoral Theology & Practice at Northern Seminary: https://www.seminary.edu/programs/doctor-of-ministry-in-pastoral-theology-practice/

🎙️ In This Episode:

Why presence (not performance) is key to longevity in ministry
How spouses and friendships help pastors endure storms
The spiritual and vocational value of ongoing theological education
An exciting announcement about the launch of a new Doctor of Ministry program

⏱️ Timestamps:

00:30 – Catching up and Mark’s decision to stay another 4 years

03:00 – Tara Beth shares about a recent painful leadership season

07:00 – The role of their spouses in surviving ministry

10:00 – Why community and presence matter more than performance

13:00 – Reflections from a missionary couple on staying faithful

16:00 – Theological convictions that ground pastoral work

18:00 – How ongoing learning has sustained Mark’s ministry

25:00 – Why churches should support their pastors’ education

27:00 – Tara Beth announces her return to school

28:00 – Introducing the new DMin in Theology & Practice of Pastoral Ministry

32:00 – How to apply and what’s coming next

The Gift of Waiting: Faith Eury Cho on Trust, Provision, and Friendship with God (Part 2) | PT 133 Jul 28, 2025

Show notes

What if God’s invitation isn’t to act—but to wait?

In this episode, Tara Beth Leach and Mark Quanstrom continue their conversation with pastor and author Faith Eury Cho. Together they explore how a season of uncertainty, silence, and scarcity became fertile ground for trust, surrender, and a deeper experience of God’s presence. From living without a paycheck to planting a church from her living room, Faith shares how waiting can be both painful and profoundly sacred.

🎙️ In This Episode:

Learning to “do nothing” and adore God during a season of loss
How waiting can reveal God’s provision in unexpected ways
The hidden power of childlike faith and sacred assumption
Why friendship with God often begins where certainty ends

⏱️ Timestamps:

02:00 – Adoring God while facing housing insecurity

06:00 – A call to seek the Kingdom first

08:00 – The house that only God could provide

12:00 – Trusting God with the pace of church planting

14:00 – The cost and courage of waiting

18:00 – Wounds that distort our view of God

21:00 – Parenting, presence, and rediscovering joy in the process

💡 Takeaway:

Waiting on God is not weakness; it’s faith in action.

In a culture obsessed with control and productivity, Faith Cho reminds us that the deepest growth often happens when we stop striving and trust God to move.

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Friendship with God: Faith Eury Cho on Friendship, Presence, and Planting in the Pandemic (Part 1) | PT 132 Jul 21, 2025

Show notes

Author, pastor, and Honor Summit founder Faith Eury Cho shares her remarkable journey from spiritual curiosity as a child to church planting during a global pandemic. With warmth and honesty, Faith reflects on her evolving intimacy with God, how motherhood reshaped her theology of presence, and why pastors must stop chasing “moments” and start building lives centered on God’s presence.

🎙️ In This Episode:

From mystical childhood wonder to Spirit-filled ministry
The difference between manifest and indwelling presence
Why church planting in 2020 revealed God’s sufficiency
How motherhood changed her understanding of holy ground

📍 Timestamps:

04:00 – Faith’s story of spiritual longing and discovery

08:00 – Salvation at 16 and her call to ministry

12:30 – Motherhood, presence, and reshaping theology

19:00 – Practicing the presence vs. manufacturing moments

25:00 – The call to plant Mosaic Covenant Church

🔗 Resources & Links:

🛠️ Takeaway:

You don’t have to manufacture God’s presence; it’s already with you. Ministry is less about chasing sacred moments and more about building a life around a sacred friendship.

The Courage to Lament: Aubrey Sampson on Grief, Ministry, and Sacred Sorrow (Part 2) | PT 131 Jul 14, 2025

Show notes

What if we stopped fearing lament in church, and started embracing it as holy?

In this powerful follow-up conversation, pastor and author Aubrey Sampson joins Tara Beth and Mark to talk about leading while grieving, pastoring through pain, and creating sacred space for sorrow in the church.

🎙️ In This Episode:

How unprocessed grief distorts our leadership and faith
The courage it takes to bring your honest self to the pulpit
Why lament isn’t faithless, it’s an act of deep spiritual trust
What churches gain when they normalize grief in worship

⏱️ Timestamps:

03:00 – Prayers we’re afraid to pray

08:00 – The grandkids only God could give

12:00 – The gift of lament in public worship

17:00 – Creating space for sorrow in Sunday services

21:00 – What unprocessed grief does to leaders

26:00 – Giving yourself permission to pause

30:00 – Big Feeling Days and writing for the littlest grievers

💡 Takeaway:

Grief doesn’t disqualify us from ministry: it deepens it.

Lament is not a detour from discipleship; it is discipleship. Aubrey’s story invites us to become churches that grieve well, love honestly, and make space for the sacred work of tears.

Leading While Grieving: Aubrey Sampson on Calling, Church Planting, and the Cost of Ministry (Part 1) | PT 130 Jul 07, 2025

Show notes

What if your calling was never modeled for you—and your grief hit harder than your training ever prepared you for? In this episode, pastor and author Aubrey Sampson joins Tara Beth and Mark to share the winding, beautiful, and painful road of planting a church while navigating personal loss, theological wrestling, and the loneliness of leadership.

🎙️ In This Episode:

Why Aubrey never imagined herself as a pastor
What it means to plant a church with conviction and complexity
The emotional toll of leadership and stepping into grief while serving
How theological clarity became a freeing force

⏱️ Timestamps:

03:00 – From volunteer to pastor: discovering a hidden call

06:00 – Wrestling with guilt, theology, and spiritual authority

09:00 – Why church planting was the only path forward

12:00 – Honeymoon seasons, heartbreak, and sacred disappointment

17:00 – Co-pastoring through sabbatical and spiritual weariness

24:00 – Grief, illness, and loss behind the scenes of ministry

28:00 – Pastors and the cost of not being allowed to lament

💡 Thought to ponder:

Ministry doesn’t protect you from pain; it shapes you in it.

Aubrey’s story is a reminder that faithful leadership isn’t found in perfection, but in showing up anyway, trusting that God meets us in the dark.

Redefining Identity: Elizabeth Bair on Navigating The Temptation of "Proving" (Part 2) | PT 129 Jun 30, 2025

Show notes

What happens when your gender, age, and relationship status seem to speak louder than your call?

In this episode, Pastor Elizabeth Bair returns to The Pastor’s Table to reflect on the quiet tension of pastoral identity, learning to relax into the authority God has given, and why she's not chasing titles, but transformation.

🎙️ In This Episode:

The burden of “proving yourself” in ministry as a young woman
Singleness and the myth of being “incomplete” in church culture
When call becomes confirmation: living into the identity God speaks
Learning to lead with grace when you're underestimated

⏱️ Timestamps:

03:00 – Proving yourself vs. resting in your call

07:00 – The “triple threat”: young, single, female pastor

13:00 – Finding spiritual authority in the midst of critique

20:00 – When ministry fits “like a glove”

27:00 – What Gen Z pastors wish older leaders knew

🧭 Takeaway:

God doesn’t define you by what others see as limitations. He calls you by name. That is enough.

Lonely But Called: Elizabeth Bair on Ministry and Loneliness (Part 1) | PT 128 Jun 23, 2025

Show notes

What happens when you follow your calling, only to find yourself profoundly alone?

In this episode, youth pastor Elizabeth Bair opens up about stepping into ministry at age 22, navigating life in rural Michigan, and wrestling with loneliness as a single, young woman in a church leadership role. Her honesty is both refreshing and deeply relatable for pastors who feel isolated or unseen.

🎙️ In This Episode:

Why Elizabeth almost ran from her calling
The hidden costs of ministry that no one talks about
What to do when your prayers for community go unanswered
How Propel and community theater became lifelines of grace

⏱️ Timestamps:

03:00 – The surprising moment she accepted her call

07:00 – Moving in with her grandmother

10:00 – Confessing loneliness and finding lifelines

17:00 – God’s unexpected answer through art and community

23:00 – The cost of being a woman in ministry

28:00 – Age bias and the challenge of pastoral authority

🔗 Learn more about Propel Cohorts at https://cohorts.propelwomen.org/

💡 Takeaway:

Ministry can be lonely, but you are not alone. God often brings community in unexpected places, and you don’t have to carry the weight of your calling by yourself.

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