When Fear Comes to Church: Hector Alfaro on Pastoring Chicago’s Immigrant Congregations | PT 151

Loss is plaguing the church.  Congregants are leaving. Pastors are burning out. Loss of all kinds is painfully present in the church.  Many times people feel tending to a surrendered life of Christ is hard. Mindy Caliguire suggests that what is really hard is facing the pain of staying the same. There are so many pressures facing the church, but a community that tends to souls is possible.  Make sure to come back for the other episodes with Mindy to learn more!   Discussion Questions: How does Mindy Caliguire's perspective on loss and the challenges within the church encourage us to reevaluate our approach to spiritual growth and transformation? What might be some of the obstacles that prevent congregants and pastors from engaging in this process effectively?In what ways can we build and nurture a church community that focuses on tending to souls amid the various pressures of ministry? What practical steps and principles did you draw from this discussion to help address the present challenges within your congregation?Reflecting on the idea that facing the pain of staying the same can be more challenging than the work of tending to a surrendered life of Christ, how can we cultivate a mindset and environment that embrace growth, change, and healing within our churches? What role can individual members and leaders play in making this transformation possible?

What happens when the very institution that shaped your ministry turns around and wounds you?Can God take that loss and birth something new?In this deeply personal anniversary episode, Mark and Tara Beth look back on three years of The Pastor’s Table and the untold story of how it all began. From Mark’s unexpected firing, to the disorientation that followed, to the Spirit-led formation of this podcast, they revisit the moments of pain, clarity, calling, and redemption that shaped their ministry.This episode is raw, honest, and full of hope for any pastor navigating disappointment, transition, or questions of identity and vocation.🎙️ In This Episode:The firing that blindsided Mark — and the prayer he kept repeatingHow a season of painful disorientation birthed the Center for Theological IntegrityThe unexpected way God redeemed loss (“I already have… wait and see.”)Why theological integrity—not vanity metrics—remains the heartbeat of the podcastHow the Holy Spirit compelled Tara Beth into a pastorate she never planned to takeWild Sunday-morning stories (fainting, wheelchairs, choking… all in one sermon!)What’s next for the relaunch of The Pastor’s Table⏱️ Timestamps00:00 – Why this anniversary episode matters02:00 – Mark remembers the early podcast days03:00 – “My services were no longer needed”: the firing05:45 – Transparency, leadership, and the cost of truth-telling07:30 – Praying through disorientation: “Lord, how will you redeem this?”10:00 – “I already have”: the surprising answer that kept repeating11:30 – The birth of the Center for Theological Integrity12:45 – How Northern Seminary became home for the vision17:20 – How suffering shaped the podcast’s heartbeat21:00 – Tara Beth’s reluctant call to Good Shepherd24:00 – “They needed a mom”: the Spirit’s inner leap27:00 – When everything goes wrong mid-sermon33:00 – Returning to theological integrity36:00 – Daily Scripture reading and resisting vanity metrics38:00 – What’s next for the podcastGod never wastes suffering.Your hardest losses may become the very soil where new ministry, clarity, and courage begin to grow.

What does ministry look like when your people are afraid to leave their homes? In this heartfelt conversation, Pastor Hector Alfaro joins Tara Beth Leach and Mark Quanstrom to share what Hispanic churches in Chicago are experiencing as ICE activity intensifies. From families torn apart to churches emptied in a matter of weeks, Pastor Hector offers a raw, front-line perspective on shepherding undocumented and mixed-status communities living under daily threat — and the hope the Church must offer in this moment.🎙️ In This Episode:Hector’s journey from Guatemala to Chicago at age 17The explosive growth of Hispanic churches — and why everything changedHow immigrants encountered Jesus on the journey northWhat ICE presence has done to church attendance, jobs, and daily lifeHow pastors are caring for families living in fearWhy the wider Church must step in with courage, compassion, and resources⏱️ Timestamps:00:00 – Welcome & introduction to Pastor Hector 01:00 – Leaving Guatemala and adapting to American culture04:00 – His father’s call to plant Spanish-speaking churches06:00 – Multinational, multiethnic Hispanic congregations08:00 – The unique challenges of pastoring undocumented families10:00 – Immigrants meeting Jesus on the journey north12:00 – Discipling new believers from Venezuela & Central America15:00 – ICE presence and fear reshaping entire neighborhoods17:00 – Families choosing deportation over living in fear20:00 – Churches providing food, visits, and emergency support23:00 – Pastors carrying passports — and heavy pastoral burdens26:00 – Navigating work, danger, and survival30:00 – How it changes the way a pastor preaches and shepherds31:30 – A call for the wider Church to step inPastor Hector reminds us that the Body of Christ is not whole unless we carry one another’s burdens. When some churches worship in fear, the whole Church is called to respond with prayer, presence, and sacrificial love.

How does a pastor guide a community facing real threats, real fear, and real need?In this powerful continuation, Pastor Paco Amador joins Tara Beth Leach and Mark Quanstrom to share how his congregation in Chicago’s Little Village is responding to the immigration crisis with courage, compassion, and prophetic witness. From offering tamales and prayer outside a migrant shelter to confronting the fear of deportation in his pews, Paco embodies the gospel as both resistance and hope.🎙️ In This Episode:The harrowing journey of migrants through the Darién GapHow the church in Chicago became a sanctuary of love and welcomeThe rise of fear and persecution amid ICE detentionsHow Paco’s preaching has changed to meet a scattered and suffering flockThe unbreakable hope of a church that refuses despair⏱️ Timestamps:00:00 – What it means to be a Hispanic pastor in Chicago today04:00 – The migrant journey through the Darién Gap07:00 – Prayers, tamales, and the birth of a street-side church13:00 – Organizing mercy: how the church met the need17:00 – Stories of separation and injustice21:00 – Fear, invisibility, and the immigrant experience28:00 – The church as prophetic resistance34:00 – Preaching for a scattered people38:00 – Seeds of the gospel in persecutionIn a city divided by politics and fear, Pastor Paco Amador reminds us that the Church’s truest power is love. When systems fail and families are torn apart, the gospel still takes root on sidewalks, in shelters, and through the songs of a people who refuse to lose hope.

What happens when the story of migration becomes the story of calling? In this episode, Pastor Paco Amador joins Tara Beth Leach and Mark Quanstrom to share his journey from Mexico to North Carolina to Chicago’s Little Village. With honesty and humor, Paco reflects on his encounter with Jesus as a teenager, the grief and beauty of leaving home, and the long road toward discovering where he truly belongs.🎙️ In This Episode:Leaving home at fourteen and encountering Jesus on a North Carolina benchHow immigration shapes faith, identity, and dependence on GodThe unlikely path from Mexico to Moody Bible InstitutePlanting a church in college that became his lifelong ministryBuilding a multicultural congregation in Chicago’s Little Village⏱️ Timestamps:00:00 – Introducing Pastor Paco Amador04:00 – Leaving Mexico at 14 and learning to start over08:00 – An unmistakable encounter with Jesus11:00 – A teacher’s nudge, a missionary’s challenge, and the call to Moody15:00 – Starting a church in college and learning by failing forward20:00 – Two years in Spain and an unexpected love story24:00 – Planting roots in Little Village, Chicago28:00 – Preaching in Spanish, English, and Mayan31:00 – God’s quiet work in a vibrant immigrant communityThe call of God often begins in disorientation. Paco’s story reminds us that in every language, every journey, and every act of leaving, God is already at work turning exile into belonging.

What does it look like to live a life formed by grace and resistant to the pressures of the world? In this second conversation, Pastor Nathan Hoff returns to unpack the theology and practice behind The Rule of Life at Trinity Lutheran Church in San Pedro. He joins Tara Beth Leach and Mark Quanstrom to explore how intentional rhythms of prayer, reconciliation, and presence can shape both pastors and congregations for a non-anxious, deeply human way of life.🎙️ In This Episode:The rhythms of prayer that anchor Nathan’s community—morning and eveningWhy reconciliation is harder (and holier) than routineHow “formation as resistance” counters cultural conformityWhat technology, resources, and even our bodies reveal about our formationThe invitation to stay rooted in a transient world⏱️ Timestamps:04:30 – The challenge and beauty of reconciliation09:45 – The gift of rootedness through the Rule of Life15:00 – Formation as resistance to conformity19:00 – Practicing grace in technology, money, and relationships24:30 – A pastoral reflection on the hard work of community🔗 Resources & Links:Learn more about Trinity Lutheran Church → trinitysanpedro.orgExplore The Rule of Life → trinitysanpedro.org/ruleoflifeListen to Low in the Water from the Eugene Peterson Center → petersoncenter.org/low-in-the-water-podcastFollow Nathan Hoff’s writing → nathanhoff.substack.comExplore reflections on pastoral life → practicingbenediction.substack.comSpiritual formation isn’t about escaping the world; it’s about being reshaped within it. Pastor Nathan Hoff reminds us that resisting conformity begins with prayer, reconciliation, and the courage to stay rooted in community.

What if the cure for modern ministry restlessness is staying put? In this episode, Pastor Nathan Hoff joins Tara Beth Leach and Mark Quanstrom to share his story of 20 years at Trinity Lutheran Church in San Pedro, California. From a childhood marked by constant moves to forming a residential community in an unrooted city, Nathan reflects on the beauty of long obedience, shared rhythms, and a “rule of life” shaped by prayer and presence.🎙️ In This Episode:Growing up in a pastor’s family that moved 15 times before he turned 30The call to ministry at age eight—and how grace reshaped his vocationHow generational faith shaped Nathan’s theology of rootednessCreating a parish community with shared rhythms of prayer and lifeWhy stability is countercultural—and deeply spiritual—in urban ministry⏱️ Timestamps:04:00 – From constant moving to a life of rooted ministry07:00 – A childhood call to ministry and early formation10:00 – Discovering Trinity Lutheran Church in San Pedro13:00 – The influence of charismatic and sacramental renewal movements17:00 – Generational faith and the grace that carries through families20:00 – “On the block”: creating a shared residential community24:00 – Rule of life, rhythms of prayer, and the call to rootedness🔗 Resources & Links:Learn more about Trinity Lutheran Church → trinitysanpedro.orgExplore The Rule of Life and the Common Way → trinitysanpedro.org/ruleoflifeListen to Low in the Water (from the Eugene Peterson Center) → petersoncenter.org/low-in-the-water-podcastFollow Nathan Hoff’s writing → nathanhoff.substack.comExplore reflections on pastoral life → practicingbenediction.substack.comIn a world that prizes movement and novelty, Pastor Nathan Hoff reminds us that faithfulness often looks like staying put—rooting deeply in a place, a people, and the daily rhythms of grace.

What happens when grace rewrites your story from the inside out? In this second conversation, Pastor Katie Langston joins Tara Beth Leach and Mark Quanstrom to share how the gospel of grace led her from Mormonism to the waters of baptism and into the freedom of ministry. Katie opens up about her conversion, her calling as a Lutheran pastor, and why she now preaches grace as the Church’s most radical gift in an anxious world.🎙️ In This Episode:How Katie’s baptism became a moment of real deliveranceWhy law and gospel must be preached together—but not confusedThe tangible grace of communion for weary believersThe temptation to prove worthiness—even in ministryHow pastors can rest in being “sealed” by Christ’s finished work⏱️ Timestamps:03:00 – Discovering grace as a lived reality, not a doctrine08:00 – Luther Seminary and finding home in the Lutheran story11:00 – Baptism as exorcism and renewal15:00 – Learning to preach grace in a law-driven world18:00 – Pastoral care and the non-anxious presence of the gospel20:00 – Communion as Christ given “for you”24:00 – Why every culture worships worthiness26:00 – “You are sealed to Christ forever.”Grace doesn’t ask for your worthiness; it gives it. Katie’s story reminds pastors and believers alike that baptism marks us with the promise of a God who will never, ever let us go.

What happens when religion becomes a system for proving your worth? In this powerful conversation, Pastor Katie Langston shares her journey from growing up Mormon to discovering the freeing power of grace. With honesty and humor, she describes life in a worthiness-based system, her battle with scrupulosity, and the moment she first heard the gospel of grace through a Wheaton professor’s words: “I know enough of my deficiencies to be devastated.”🎙️ In This Episode:Growing up in a loving but rule-bound Mormon homeThe weight of worthiness interviews and religious anxietyBattling scrupulosity and finding a name for her struggleHearing the gospel for the first time—and believing itWhy grace and Mormon theology can’t coexist⏱️ Timestamps:00:00 – Introducing Pastor Katie Langston02:00 – Growing up in a faithful Mormon home05:00 – Worthiness interviews and the burden of perfection09:00 – Temple rituals, baptism for the dead, and Mormon theology13:00 – Missionary life in Bulgaria and early cracks in the system18:00 – Marriage, motherhood, and the onset of despair21:00 – OCD, scrupulosity, and the search for help23:00 – Hearing Jerry Root’s message on grace24:00 – “What if Christ has made me worthy?”26:00 – Ten years of wrestling between Mormonism and graceGrace is not another rule to keep; it’s the end of the "worthiness" game. Katie’s story invites weary pastors and believers alike to rest in the gospel that declares: you are already enough in Christ.

What if you didn’t get to choose where you served, but trusted the Spirit and the Church to send you? In Part 2 of this conversation, Pastor Benji Van Fleet joins Tara Beth Leach and Mark Quanstrom to unpack the Methodist system of itinerancy and what it teaches us about obedience, humility, and trust. From matchmaker bishops to Methodist “March Madness,” Benji shares a vision of ministry rooted in submission rather than self-promotion, and a faith that follows wherever God leads.🎙️ In This Episode:What the Methodist itinerant system teaches about calling and surrenderHow being sent shapes a pastor’s humility and courageThe dangers of “pastor as CEO” and the freedom of not owning your churchHow diversity flourishes through a Spirit-led appointment processWhy obedience to the Church’s discernment can deepen faith⏱️ Timestamps:00:00 – The theology behind being sent rather than hired03:00 – Contextualizing mission: unity without uniformity07:00 – The “matchmaker” role of bishops and discernment in appointments11:00 – Fresh eyes and prophetic courage in short tenures15:00 – Undermining the “pastor as CEO” model20:00 – Methodist March Madness and the beauty of discernment24:00 – Diversity and the Kingdom of God in appointment systems32:00 – A phone call on Holy Week that changed everything36:00 – Saying yes when it could’ve only been six months38:00 – Submission, humility, and the Spirit’s surprising workMinistry is not a career we climb; it’s a call we receive. Benji’s story reminds us that when we live as sent ones rather than stationed ones, we find the freedom to trust God’s wisdom over our own plans.