# Embrace Endings Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/church-staff-book-club-7646058/embrace-endings Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/church-staff-book-club-7646058/embrace-endings.md Podcast: [Church Staff Book Club](https://stenobird.com/podcast/church-staff-book-club-7646058) Published: 2026-05-12T12:54:17+00:00 Episode link: https://api.riverside.com/hosting-analytics/media/0d1749b63ae724ee779ed2ef133509c742ac3ddf8127b5965b76adeb0cc9eea5/eyJlcGlzb2RlSWQiOiI2MTUyMzg1Zi1kNzcwLTRkNjEtODVmNi0yNjQ0YjQ4YmZhNjkiLCJwb2RjYXN0SWQiOiIxNzQzYmQ3My1kMGNkLTRhMjAtYTIyMS0wYTczMmUyMDQxZTkiLCJhY2NvdW50SWQiOiI2OGMxY2FkMzNhMzk0ZmE2NjA0MjBmNDIiLCJwYXRoIjoibWVkaWEvY2xpcHMvNmEwMzIzYzJjNTlkMjliMGRhNGFjMzdkL2pvbmF0aGFuLW1hbG1zLXN0dWRpby1jb21wb3Nlci0yMDI2LTUtMTJfXzE0LTU3LTM4Lm1wMyJ9.mp3 Audio file: https://api.riverside.com/hosting-analytics/media/0d1749b63ae724ee779ed2ef133509c742ac3ddf8127b5965b76adeb0cc9eea5/eyJlcGlzb2RlSWQiOiI2MTUyMzg1Zi1kNzcwLTRkNjEtODVmNi0yNjQ0YjQ4YmZhNjkiLCJwb2RjYXN0SWQiOiIxNzQzYmQ3My1kMGNkLTRhMjAtYTIyMS0wYTczMmUyMDQxZTkiLCJhY2NvdW50SWQiOiI2OGMxY2FkMzNhMzk0ZmE2NjA0MjBmNDIiLCJwYXRoIjoibWVkaWEvY2xpcHMvNmEwMzIzYzJjNTlkMjliMGRhNGFjMzdkL2pvbmF0aGFuLW1hbG1zLXN0dWRpby1jb21wb3Nlci0yMDI2LTUtMTJfXzE0LTU3LTM4Lm1wMyJ9.mp3 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/church-staff-book-club-7646058/episodes/embrace-endings Duration seconds: 2079 ## Resource Most ministry leaders are great at launching new things. But what about ending them? That's where things get messy — and where so much unnecessary pain in churches actually comes from. In this season finale of the Church Staff Book Club, Jonathan Malm and Jason Young wrap up The Emotionally Healthy Leader by Peter Scazzero with Chapter 9: "Endings and Beginnings." If you're holding onto something that needs to die — a program, a role, a relationship, a season — this conversation is for you. What We Cover in This Episode: Why leaders are wired to add things and terrified to end them How "keeping the peace" often just delays pain and elongates it The subtle drain of holding onto something past its season Why endings feel like failure — and how to reframe them as release, obedience, or completion Jonathan's exercise for SundaySocial: "What would we build if we started today?" Why endings are actually a vital part of your spiritual formation How to love people through an ending... before, during, and after Why messy endings are normal, and what to do when you're in one Don't bypass the grief... what it means and why it matters We Finished Reading: The Emotionally Healthy Leader by Peter Scazzero Tune in next week to find out what book we're reading next! Key Quotes from This Episode: "Every new beginning starts from some other beginning's end." "Endings feel like loss, even when they're right." "It's less about quitting and more about releasing. Less about defeat and more about obedience." Connect & Subscribe: 📱 Follow us on social media and join the conversation 🔔 Subscribe so you never miss a chapter 📚 Grab The Emotionally Healthy Leader and read along with us ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/church-staff-book-club-7646058/episodes/embrace-endings/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/church-staff-book-club-7646058/embrace-endings.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.