Confession, Connection, and the Fight for Identity: Scott Moore on Ministry Beyond Metrics (Part 2) | PT 121
Pastor Scott Moore returns for a vulnerable, soul-level conversation on what happened after his breaking point.
From a life-changing fishing trip with strangers to a tearful reconnection with his family and church, Scott reflects on the slow work of reintegration. With honesty about the setbacks and sacred practices that help him stay tethered, this episode is a call to resist isolation, embrace confession, and fight the subtle seduction of success metrics.
🎙️ In This Episode:
Healing through honesty and sacred vulnerability
Creating relational spaces where confession is normal
Letting go of success metrics as identity markers
How to stay rooted when performance whispers loudest
⏱️ Timestamps:
02:20 — What started to shift: "I’m tired of lying."
06:15 — A pastor’s fishing trip—and honest friendship
09:42 — Returning to church, scared but honest
14:00 — Leading without hiding
18:40 — Why metrics nearly broke Scott’s sense of self
22:33 — The WhatsApp group and the gift of confession
28:14 — Soteriology, scars, and staying tethered
32:50 — Closing reflections on hope and hard-won identity
💡 Takeaway:
You don’t have to pretend you’re okay to keep going. The road back is rarely clean or linear—but confession, connection, and calling are still possible on the other side of burnout.
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31:50
When Ministry Breaks You: Scott Moore on Burnout, Isolation, and Holding On (Part 1) | PT 120
What happens when ministry feels less like a calling and more like survival?
In this raw and courageous conversation, Scott Moore shares his story of stepping into a conflicted congregation, facing impossible expectations, and slowly losing himself in the isolation of unacknowledged burnout.
🎙️ In This Episode:
How Scott moved from a thriving ministry to a pastor-killing church
The early warning signs of burnout he didn’t recognize
Why loyalty to "toughing it out" can deepen the isolation
What it feels like to lose hope quietly—while still preaching every Sunday
⏱️ Timestamps:
03:00 — Stepping into conflict without knowing it
07:00 — No honeymoon and immediate resistance
12:00 — Internalizing failure and the slow onset of despair
17:00 — Five years of secret depression
24:00 — A surprising invitation to Wyoming—and the first crack of hope
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32:26
Sacred Rest: Why Pastors Feel Empty After Easter and Why That’s Okay | PT 119
Why do pastors feel so disoriented the day after Easter?
In this honest, unscripted conversation, Tara Beth Leach and Dr. Mark Quanstrom reflect on the emotional and spiritual aftermath of Holy Week. From packed services and buffet lunches to depression dips and pastoral guilt, they name what many church leaders feel—but rarely say out loud.
🎙️ In This Episode:
Why post-Easter exhaustion is real and normal
The difference between burnout and sacred rest
How “preacher crowds” reveal spiritual hunger
What happens when Scripture is read aloud—even to an empty room
⏱️ Timestamps:
02:30 — 16 services in 7 days: Tara Beth’s Holy Week marathon
07:00 — Mark on pastoring in a college town at Easter
10:00 — Why we gorge on buffets and sleep for 12 hours
14:00 — Preacher crowds and the privilege of one-hour ministry
19:00 — Reading Scripture aloud during Lent—even when no one shows up
26:00 — Tazé worship, confirmation joy, and why repetition matters
29:00 — Permission to rest: “Christ is risen… so I don’t have to run the world today.”
💡 Takeaway:
If you feel tired, numb, or unsure after Easter—it doesn’t mean you did anything wrong. Jesus is still risen. Your worth isn’t tied to a service. Rest is sacred, and grace holds you, even when your brain is foggy.
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32:56
Conviction Without Mimicry: Church, Politics, and the Power of Particular Places (Part 2) | PT 118
What does it mean to lead with conviction—without copying someone else’s model?
In Part 2 of their candid host recap, Tara Beth Leach and Dr. Mark Quanstrom reflect on the pressures pastors face to mimic big-box ministry models or speak out on every cultural issue. From franchise churches to the idolization of family and politics, they unpack the theological convictions that keep them grounded—and pastoral.
🎙️ In This Episode:
Why mimicking other churches misses the heart of incarnational ministry
How to lead without getting hijacked by political pressure
Church as God’s primary redemptive strategy—not politics, not family
What keeps liberals and conservatives worshiping together
⏱️ Timestamps:
04:30 — The Disney analogy for contextualized ministry
10:00 — How tradition and personality shape different worship styles
13:00 — Mark’s Willow Creek detour and rediscovering pastoral identity
20:00 — Church, not politics or family, as God’s redemptive plan
27:00 — Should pastors name “Tesla” in the pulpit?
31:00 — Creating space for political difference in the Church
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35:26
Why We’re Still Here: Redemption, Resilience, and the Heart Behind the Podcast (Part 1) | PT 117
Why do pastors keep showing up when ministry gets hard?
In this honest and vulnerable host recap, Tara Beth Leach and Dr. Mark Quanstrom revisit the origins of The Pastor’s Table and unpack the convictions that continue to drive the show. From painful memories to surprising grace, this episode explores why the Church is still worth loving—and leading.
🎙️ In This Episode:
How the podcast began in a conversation over coffee
Redeeming painful ministry memories through time and forgiveness
The importance of talking theology in real-life spaces
Why the Church remains central—even when it wounds us
⏱️ Timestamps:
03:00 — How this podcast started (and why)
06:00 — Working out theology with real people
11:00 — When your memory gets redeemed
18:00 — Forgiveness as the path to healing
23:00 — Finding hope after being hurt by the Church
29:00 — The surprising grace in the painful places
💡 Takeaway:
Ministry will wound you—but it will also surprise you.
Through story, theology, and the slow work of grace, The Pastor’s Table is a place to remember why we’re still here, and why the Church is still worth it.
Corporate leadership systems focused on vanity metrics have left today’s church leaders weary and burnt out. The Pastor’s Table Podcast brings you conversations with local pastors working out deep theological convictions in their churches.
Listen to the Pastor’s Table today to get a renewed perspective on how to integrate a robust theological vision with your ministry practices. Embrace the gift of serving in God’s Kingdom with Join Dr. Mark Quanstrom & Rev. Tara Beth Leach on The Pastor’s Table.
Join the conversation at thepastorstable.com
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