The Bad Pastors Podcast

It’s a true-crime-meets-church-history ride that digs into the wild, uncomfortable, sometimes unbelievable stories of pastors who went way off the rails—financial fraud, secret lives, culty control, the works. Each episode pulls apart what actually happened, why it mattered, and what we can learn from it without turning it into a doom spiral about the church. You’ll get sharp storytelling, dark humor, and the oddly reassuring reminder that accountability matters and redemption is real… even if some of these guys took the scenic route away from it.

The Bad Pastors Podcast is a religion podcast hosted by Bob Hyatt, with 14 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Bob Hyatt hosts The Bad Pastors Podcast, a religion show with 14 episodes published.

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  Episode #14

  Ministry Mantras- Whatever is Happening Now Will Not Keep Happening S1 Ep14

  Jan 19, 20268 minS1

  <p>In this Ministry Mantra episode of Bad Pastors, Bob Hyatt speaks directly to leaders navigating anxious, unsettled times. When the pressure is high and the noise is loud, it’s easy to forget a simple but grounding truth: whatever is happening now will not keep happening forever.</p><p>This episode reminds pastors and ministry leaders that seasons change—both the good ones and the hard ones. Our calling isn’t to ignore difficulty or minimize pain, but to help people see what God may be forming in them through it. Hope doesn’t deny reality; it anchors us in God’s...

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  Episode #13

  The Preposterous Parable of Pastor Ponzi S1 Ep13

  Jan 16, 202612 minS1

  <p>What do you get when a Florida pastor starts quoting Luke 6:38 like it’s a financial prospectus?<br>You get one of the biggest religious Ponzi schemes in American history.</p><p>This week, we’re diving into the unbelievable story of Gerald Payne — the founder of Greater Ministries International, who promised believers their money would “double for the Kingdom”... and somehow forgot to mention it was being used to pay off earlier believers.</p><p>It’s a story of greed in a choir robe, Scripture turned into sales pitch, and what happens when a pastor decides to tithe to him...

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  Episode #12

  A Priest's Secret Life S1 Ep 12

  Jan 12, 20268 minS1

  <p>When a pastor has a secret life, it’s almost always a disaster. Almost. In this episode of Bad Pastors, we tell the true and wildly unexpected story of Fray Tormenta—a Catholic priest who secretly lived a double life for more than twenty years. By day, he celebrated Mass. By night...? Well, you'll have to listen and find out! </p><p>But be prepared- you won't believe where this one goes!</p>

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  Episode #11

  The Shadow at Willow Creek S1 Ep11

  Jan 9, 20268 minS1

  <p>Bill Hybels didn’t set out to become a bad pastor.<br>He set out to reach people nobody else was reaching.<br>And for a long time—he did.</p><p>In this episode, we explore how one of the most influential pastors of the modern era built a movement that reshaped American church life… and how that same drive for excellence slowly created the conditions for harm.</p><p>This isn’t a story of hypocrisy; it’s a story of insulation.<br>Of a system so efficient it stopped working on the one who built it.</p><p>From...

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  Episode #10

  The Bling Bishop S1 Ep10

  Jan 5, 20269 minS1

  <p>In this episode of Bad Pastors, we head to Brooklyn to meet Lamor Whitehead — the self-styled “Bling Bishop” who turned the pulpit into a platform, the platform into a brand, and the brand into a federal indictment. When faith meets flash and the side hustle starts looking holier than the gospel, what happens next isn’t just a scandal — it’s a sermon illustration.</p><p>We’ll unpack how good intentions can drift into deception, why pastors should never monetize trust, and what it looks like to stay faithful in a culture obsessed with the grind. Spoiler: shepherds don’t fleece t...

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