Is the American Church Facing a “Sociological” Crisis?

We live in a day that holds deep assumptions about the way church is done.

We assume exclusive religious spaces, teaching-centric gatherings, congregational liturgies, and musical worship experiences. The reformers gave us these ideas of church five hundred years ago, and we have become serious disciples of their ways.

Interestingly, this approach is not found in the scriptures.

Nor is it how church was done for the first three hundred years of Christianity.

An Overlooked Piece of Christian History

The apostolic era practiced church primarily around dinner tables. Whether it was the house churches introduced in the Book of Acts, or the Agapé churches introduced in the Epistles, church happened around tables of food at dinnertime. The dinner table setting of the first Christians is usually overlooked in today’s theological discussions, but its implications are very deep and worthy of serious reflection.

Jesus himself used the dinner table and dinnertime throughout his ministry. J. Crossen states that if one were to watch a day in the life of Jesus, he would mostly see him healing and eating.

Jesus performed much of his salvific work from a dinner table. Many of the parables were told from a dinner table. Numerous kingdom metaphors assumed a dinner table.

It is not a mystery then why the Acts house churches and the Gentile Agapé churches functioned around dinner tables; they were given that pattern by Jesus himself.

During the Last Supper, Jesus took an annual dinner event and turned it into a vision for doing church by telling his disciples to begin doing what they were doing whenever they met, to continue to gather the poor and the stranger to their table, and to “remember” Christ instead of remembering the rescue event from Egypt. In so doing, Jesus embedded the gospel into the dinner table sociology, and his disciples obviously caught that vision.

The gospel found a comfortable home at the dinner table and at dinnertimes. The familial setting of the dinnertime table made it easy to gather people to the family of God. During the three hundred years when Christian gatherings were dinner churches, the church grew from 20,000 to over 20 million. In other words, many sinners met their Savior over tables of food.

Our Sociological Problem

There is something winsome about inviting people to dinner that cannot be paralleled by inviting them to a teaching event. In our day and age, still so influenced by the Reformation, we desperately need to meditate upon what we are actually asking the unchurched population to come to when we invite them to this thing we call church. We must follow up this meditation with another: would inviting our neighbors to dinner be more compelling?

In fact, take a moment right now to think about one of your neighbors who isn't a part of a church. Imagine inviting that person to come with you to a worship gathering.

Now, start over. Instead, imagine inviting that same neighbor to come over for dinner with your family.

To which invite do you think you are more likely to hear yes?

For people who have an understanding of church in their background or have a primed interest in Christianity, the proclamation event would be considered. But for people with no church sociology in their background or those having low interest in the Christian message, a proclamation event holds little appeal.

With this in mind, I propose that the American church has a "sociological problem." There is nothing wrong with our gospel, but our way of doing church does not match the sociological realities of our non-church-going neighbors, who now dominate almost every zip code across our nation. And yet, the Church is called to lead all types of people to Jesus—not just those who would already fit in our gatherings.

We cannot focus only on the those who already understand church sociology; we must do church for our secular neighbors, too.

Jesus told an interesting parable about what to do with “new wine.” He stated that new wine required “new wineskins,” because to put new wine in old wineskins would burst the skins and spill the wine. I see this parable being lived out across the land. New outreach ideas are filled with an assumption that the new people will soon be brought to Sunday morning worship gatherings. And when they refuse to come, the church is disappointed and stops the outreach. In other words, the wineskin is broken and the new wine is spilled.

Church after church is trying to create new wine, but are unquestionably trying to put it in the same bottle they are used to, rather than a new sociological construct (a new form of church) that better fits the sociology of the new people. Some churches have even gotten into an endless loop of looking for an effective outreach that will merge well with their Sunday proclamation event. They have never stopped to consider that their proclamation event is what needs to be changed rather than looking for a more effective outreach. The sociological construct that the Reformers gave us has been great for many of us, but it simply does not match the sociological realities of those we are called to reach.

Dinner With Sinners

There is a very interesting verse for us to consider in Revelation 3:20 that reveals an ongoing desire of our Lord:

“Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and DINE with him, and he with Me.”

If these poetic words mean anything, it suggests that Jesus still wants to have dinner with sinners. It is clear in the New Testament that Jesus loved having sinners, publicans, tax-collectors, and the like at his table. In fact, that habit brought more than a little controversy from the religious class. But he wasn’t dissuaded; he continued to be “a friend of sinners” and welcome them at his table. And, interestingly, he still wants to have dinner with sinners.

The only question remaining is, “Who is going to set his table?” Could it be that setting a table for sinners, seculars, and strangers to have dinner with Jesus might be one of the great callings of the church? What if when Jesus was telling Peter to “feed his sheep,” he wasn’t speaking metaphorically, but was actually directing him to a physical table?

All of these questions, verses, and more are what informs the dinner church movement. And true to the Reformation era, groups that decide to work with Jesus at one of his dinner tables find their rooms filling up with strangers, sinners, the poor, and the new Gentiles (Seculars). Let me say it one more time: Jesus still wants to have dinner with sinners.

Something Pragmatic is Happening

The Dinner Church movement is not happening in a cultural vacuum; there is a reason why it is rebirthing now. We would do well to place these Jesus Tables, which are springing up all around the West, into some larger realities.

Seven Modern-Day Realities That Make Dinner Church Pragmatic Today

1. The Secular Worldview Dominates

The secular worldview population is now outnumbering the Judeo-Christian worldview population 2-to-1. Given that, the last time the Church was highly effective with the Gentile peoples, it was functioning primarily as what is often referred to as an “Agape Feast,” and we refer to today as “Dinner Church.” For the Spirit to point us back to the table again now is nothing short of divine timing.

2. A World of Polarization and Isolation

We are living in a time of polarization, loneliness, and isolation. Looking at the Dinner Church throughout time suggests a strong truth: isolated people flock to the Jesus Table. Not only are we supposed to intentionally invite marginal, often friendless people, but we should expect that they will come. In many cases, we become the only family they have.

3. Animosity Toward Organized Religion

There is a growing animosity against organized religion and Christianity as it is commonly practiced. Many of our neighbors feel that Christians go into our nice buildings, talk about better-than-you moralistic things, and spend all of our resources on ourselves. Yet, what little they know of Jesus has led them to believe that we should be spending our time and money making a difference in the sore spots of society.

4. Affordable Church Planting for Small Churches

Dinner Church is a form of church planting that is affordable for small churches. Many leaders of average-sized churches would love to expand their influence through church planting, but they are barely making it financially. Jesus Tables have a different financial relationship with heaven. Many Dinner Church planters who assumed they would be mired in fundraising find that after a few months, they are no longer worrying about money.

5. Leading Large Churches Back to the Margins

Dinner Church has the capacity to help lead large churches back to the margins of humanity. Large churches became large by following the church-growth principles of making their gatherings and programs appeal to large circles of people. However, this growth comes at a cost. It is likely that they have lost their vision of the margins.

6. A Divided and Fragmented Society

Over the last few years, North America has become more divided and fragmented than ever. People who used to be friends no longer talk due to political differences. Even the Church is fracturing along political fault lines. Yet, scripture tasks us with the “Ministry of Reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18), and when it comes to reconciliation, the Jesus Table shines.

7. Spreading the Gospel Through Jesus Tables

Once we understand the Jesus Table, we begin to see how the First Church spread through entire cities and regions. In Acts 5:28, the High Priest charged the apostles with spreading their gospel throughout all of Jerusalem. These New Passovers were spreading from home to home and upper room to upper room, unveiling a vision of “a church through the city” rather than “a church on a corner.”

This vision has the power to completely transform how we impact our cities, just as it has done for churches like ours in Seattle. There are momentous days ahead for anyone energetically pursuing the In-breaking Kingdom.

Taking a Seat at the Table of Welcome

A Legacy of Welcome

My journey to start a dinner church began over 55 years ago in a little suburb of Kansas City. Before I was born, my parents unexpectedly began fostering three children who were in my mom’s in-home daycare. At the time, there weren’t enough foster homes, so a state social worker called and asked if they’d be willing to keep the three children since they already knew them. My parents said yes.

For the next twenty years, the phone would ring, and the request would be the same—“Can you take this child?” The answer was always the same: yes. Yes to dozens and dozens of children and teens. Some stayed for a few days, and some lived with us for years.

People often say, “It’s beautiful that your parents fostered so many children,” and it was. But it was also messy and challenging. I don’t really remember experiencing quietness growing up. All those lives and stories and traumas colliding under one roof meant strong emotions, an enormous amount of laundry, and noisy dinners.

The Liver Uprising

Like the dreaded day of the month when my mom would prepare liver for dinner. Absolutely none of us liked it, and the moans and protests would begin as soon as we all caught a whiff of liver fumes escaping the kitchen. Those dinners were awful and hilarious all at once. On these nights, usually an entire bottle of ketchup was used to smother the liver steaks so that we could bear to chew, swallow, and repeat.

On one particular Brady Bunch-like dinner night, there was a liver uprising. Fourteen people barreled into the dining room, chairs scraping across the floor, people pushing each other as we all sat down, and my dad giving thanks for the gourmet meal.

Then we all sat around the table attempting to eat. After a few minutes, one of the kids said, “Hey, something just hit my leg!” Then it happened again a few minutes later. It wasn’t long before my parents figured out that one liver culprit was tossing liver under the table to the dog, and a few pieces went rogue!

My mom eventually gave up the liver crusade, and we breathed a collective sigh of relief to return to the steak, roast, and ground beef portions of the cow.

I cannot think of another meal in my family that has generated as much laughter and exaggerated retellings. Who knew a sliver of liver could bring levity and belonging to a family with children who needed more memories around the dinner table?

Building a Family Through Welcome

It was a lot of work becoming a family under those circumstances. But there are more than 70 children who might not have had a place to sleep or a family to belong to if my parents had not welcomed them in.

A New Calling Emerges

Fast forward to 2018. By then, I had spent twenty-five years as a youth pastor, school chaplain, and connections and worship pastor. During all those years, spiritual hospitality was foundational for building trust with students and adults I was leading.

It seemed to me that people in church needed the same kind of welcome and belonging my parents offered. And what I was discovering was that more and more, I was talking to friends, family, and former students who let go of their church experience because they could not find the welcome and belonging they needed.

The Birth of Dinner Church

So, I started talking to friends who felt the same spiritual restlessness I was feeling. During that season, someone gave me the book Welcome to Dinner Church, and by the time I finished reading it, I knew what I was supposed to do!

I realized how much of my ministry in every setting up until that point was centered around a table, a conversation, and a shared meal. All that I had seen my parents model around their dinner table for two decades was imprinted on how I had shaped ministry thus far, and now became the model for how we would do church—minus the liver!

Starting The Well

With the help of those friends, we started The Well, a community dinner embedded with a spiritual purpose. Much like the growing dinner church movement across our country, The Well is where the shared meal becomes the central focus from which the music, conversation, and sacred story all flow.

Our variation of dinner church invites people from an intersection of economics, ethnicities, and experiences to sit across the table from one another, listen to each other’s stories, and offer this deeper hospitality, wherever we find ourselves on our faith journeys.

We want each person to be heard, to feel refreshed, and to find they have a place to belong at the table of faith. Around each table, we might have an engineer or MBA grad, single moms or dads with their kids, bi-vocational ministers, folks who work hourly jobs and can barely pay their bills, a person running for city council, and families who are food insecure. We are diverse in ethnicity and politics too.

The Messiness of Welcome

This all sounds beautiful, and it is. But it is messy and challenging, just like the dinners for fourteen in my parents’ home.

You cannot enter our community dinner and slip into the back row of a dark auditorium unnoticed. Instead, you step across the threshold and are welcomed into a dining space where people can belong together AND all our stories and traumas collide; all our politics, our prejudices, our passive-aggressive remarks, and our need for power.

But also all our capacities for empathy, understanding, sacrifice, forgiveness, wonder, and celebration.

Creating Connections Around the Table

We start dinner with a fun greeting song, and during the interlude, there’s a prompt like “What’s your all-time favorite movie?” or “Share your best moment from last week,” to help us move past our apparent differences and discover the fullness of “You too?”

By practicing this sacred invitation, we also invite the welcoming presence of God to join us as we hear a story of someone who encountered Jesus or another chapter in God’s story. We also celebrate birthdays, share prayer requests, and respond together with “Lord, hear our prayer.”

Once a month, we fill bags with groceries, and Wellers (as we lovingly call ourselves) are invited to either take a bag home if they need groceries or deliver it to a friend, neighbor, or client who might need help. In all we do, we are trying to be faithful to an identity of “us” instead of “you and me.”

The Welcome I Didn’t Expect

When I began leading The Well, the hospitality it offers really surprised me because I realized I needed the same welcome I was offering to others.

Dinner church is also an invitation for me—to let go of unconscious assumptions that I am the host who is offering but not receiving. I have spent my life pursuing a spiritual hospitality to give, but rarely saw my need for it or allowed someone to give it to me.

However, launching a church two weeks before COVID-19 shut the country down, losing my father, two friends, and a cousin in the next two years, and working through a lengthy list of really hard life issues all had the incredible result of shifting me out of pulpit mode.

A Seat at the Table for Me Too

A lot has changed in how I approach ministry these days. Much of it is filtered through my childhood image of my family gathering at the dinner table in Excelsior Springs, Missouri.

It’s really necessary for people to experience levity and belonging at The Well because so many need healing memories around the church table. And as a minister, I finally see myself as one who needs a place at the table too.

I don’t just set the table of welcome or provide the nourishment to help people connect and grow. I desperately need to pull out a chair, sit down, and join the meal.

The Velveteen Rabbit: A Tale of Becoming Real

It happens in one of my favorite children’s books, The Velveteen Rabbit, by Margery Williams. There, a brand-new stuffed bunny, given to a little boy on Christmas morning, discovers there is magic in the nursery where he now resides and something called “real” that he wants to learn more about. So he asks the wise old Skin Horse one afternoon, “What is real?” And the Skin Horse tells him, “Real isn't how you are made. It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.”

Sure enough, as the months roll by, this is exactly what transpires for the Velveteen Rabbit. The boy loves him so dearly – spends so much time playing with him, telling him secrets, sharing life together – that the bunny is transformed – made real – a little shabbier from all the hugs and joyful adventures – worn from being treasured – but that was okay because, as the Skin Horse had assured him, “Once you are real you can't become unreal again. It lasts for always.”

My Journey as a Dinner Church Leader

In my journey as a Dinner Church leader, I have seen the Velveteen Rabbit miracle happen over and over in the lives of those who have joined us at the table. People I had never met before, who started as attendees, became real – as we ate meals together, and I listened to their stories, and joined them on their journey, sometimes in places of great need.

And folks with whom I’d had a casual acquaintance, known from a distance, became real to me as well, brought to life, as it were, as we shared time together and passed the mashed potatoes and gravy. The all-important ingredient of love was introduced at our table.

Stories of Transformation

Gene and Joann

This happened for my backyard, over-the-fence neighbors, Gene and Joann, who I’d only had a smile-and-wave sort of relationship with for years until one night, they joined us for Dinner Church and they kept coming back. In the process, I found out we were really a family in Christ and new bonds formed. Gene and Joann became real to me!

Janice

It happened for Janice, the lady who sold me stamps at the Post Office. She was always so friendly, but that’s all I knew of her, a smiling face behind a counter, until we found ourselves together at a table and over time, I learned she was also my sister and I was her brother by faith in Jesus, and there was new life to explore and enjoy.

Rita

It also happened with Rita, who had been one of our first guests when we launched the Dinner Church mission to our community in September of 2022. I knew Rita as someone who worked for a person from our church. I was aware that she’d had a challenging life, which gave her a firm, no-nonsense demeanor, accentuated by the bold turquoise jewelry she wore to highlight her Native American heritage.

That’s all I knew of Rita, and I never really imagined knowing much more about her, but God had other plans. When I sat down with her at Dinner Church, I got to hear her story, build a relationship, and connect with her on a personal level. Over the course of the next few months, we experienced something like what happens to the Velveteen Rabbit. Dinner Church opened the door for Rita to become real to me, and I to her – a delightful experience indeed.

A Mistake and a Lesson in Forgiveness

At my final Dinner Church before retiring, I had told my last Jesus Story and farewell recognitions had begun, which included the presentation of a beautiful scrapbook containing newspaper clippings, pictures, letters, and cards from the amazing friends with whom I’d shared the past 90 Wednesday nights – people writing about how Dinner Church had changed their lives. A key volunteer, Betty, handed the scrapbook to me, which she had lovingly assembled. I began to look through the pages, admiring her work, when she told me she had to take it back to finish it.

As she did, my mind suddenly jumped back to a childhood phrase that has since become demeaning and rightly retired by most. But my emotional response got ahead of my thinking and I publicly called her an “Indian-Giver.” A firm tug on my elbow from my wife jerked me back from childhood, reminding me we live in different times where we’ve learned some terms of old are actually offensive. This was especially so for Rita, sitting at a table right in front of me who cherished her Native American ancestry and heritage. Regardless of how unintentional my offense might have been, it was still there. I felt like a kid caught and exposed and on Facebook Live, no less! I worried my comment had hurt Rita, who was not only part of our Dinner Church family but had also become very active with our congregation on Sunday mornings, attending worship and classes.

I should have acted in seeking forgiveness right then and there, but I didn’t. I delayed. I realized I had dismissed this “real” person and more so had disparaged her in an uncaring, derogatory comment. Before I knew it Saturday arrived, and I was strongly convicted by the Holy Spirit. I needed to speak with Rita before my last worship service. I called her and got her voicemail. I left her a message to call me but didn’t say what it was about. My phone did not ring.

Later that day while running errands and in a drive-thru, I glanced over and there was Rita, walking across the parking lot under a blazing hot sun. I immediately sensed God was giving me an opportunity to apologize to Rita in person. Sadly, by the time I’d collected my bagged sandwich and fries, Rita had vanished. Then, I caught sight of her again, walking near the intersection by an auto parts store. I quickly pulled over to meet her. She had a look of great relief on her face as she told me her car had broken down, she’d forgotten her cell phone, and was walking home to call a tow truck. I offered her a ride.

As I dropped her off, I apologized to Rita for my insensitive comment and asked her to forgive me, which she did, graciously and completely. It was resolved, and in that reconciliation, I felt clean.

Divine Intervention and Reflection

After my last Sunday, I texted Betty, my scrapbook creator, to let her know how divine intervention had worked between me and Rita. Betty texted back, excited to tell me that Rita had shared this very story with her class on Sunday, where the lesson was coincidentally on forgiveness. Betty noted, “It was a beautiful testimony of just how God works on us in us and for us; even on our pastor.” Rita told the class, “It was a God connection too because she really needed a ride!”

This is the power and the potential of Dinner Church. It makes people real where they somehow weren’t before; brings them to life in a way we’d never experienced until they sat down at the table with others. We see Jesus doing this time and again in His ministry. The Pharisees dismissed whole blocks of people as unworthy of their attention: lawbreakers, tax collectors, and sinners. But Jesus chose to break bread with them instead, got to know their stories, welcomed them into the family, and invited them to experience new life in Him. He made them real by loving them in a way far more powerful than the little owner of the Velveteen Rabbit ever could!

Seeing People as Jesus Did

The way that people become “real” is that we see them. One of the most used verbs for Jesus in the Gospels is that He saw people and He did so in ways that others didn’t. Jesus saw the crowds and had compassion on them. Jesus saw the Rich Young Ruler and loved him. Jesus noticed people: Zacchaeus, Jairus, The Widow of Nain. Jesus operated in a holy awareness of others: the infirmed, oppressed, the poor, foreigners, strangers, outcasts.

Without sight, Bartimaeus is reduced to begging because his neighbors have turned a blind eye to him. They don’t see him as a person of value, which is why they’re so surprised when Jesus responds to the blind man’s cries for mercy, revealing that Bartimaeus is a person worthy of God’s healing power. Likewise, the Gerasene demoniac is no longer seen by his community – those who failed to bind him have given up on his rescue – they avoid the cemetery where he roams at all costs. But not Jesus. He goes to the scary place because that’s where the broken man is who desperately needs to be seen by Jesus. And Jesus sets him free, making him real in a way he never quite was before.

Dinner Church: A Journey of Discovery

What I discovered sitting at a table at our Dinner Church is that I saw people in a way I had not previously. There was an active engagement, and I noticed people’s needs; sometimes physical needs, other times spiritual and emotional needs. Seeing people makes them real.

To be honest, I think Dinner Church made me more real, too. For the 38 years before we launched our community mission, I’d been a traditional pastor doing the things I felt called to do and was blessed in many ways. Since the pandemic, I’d been the pastor who was trying to help his church gain some kind of traction as attendance slipped and hope for some way back to the “good old days” steadily faded. There was, for me personally, Covid fatigue and genuine concern for the future. But then, when we stepped out in faith and began serving free meals and connecting with our neighbors in new ways, I found the footing I’d been praying for – a freedom

in just telling stories about Jesus and singing songs that sought to honor Him and bring others closer to His side.

Suddenly I was swept up in a movement, an early church déjà vu, and a new community of faith formed that hadn’t been there before – one that was so fresh and energizing I couldn’t wait until the next Wednesday came around when we all sat down together and shared food and life and faith – where I sought to make Jesus more real to all who came hungry for the Bread of Life and parched for Living Water.

This is what Dinner Church has done for me and so many others. The power of love has made us real to each other – given us the eyes to see the living, breathing reality of neighbors we never really knew before. Imagine what it could do for you!

A New (Old) Wineskin

“People don’t pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins... (Matthew 9:17 NIV).”

Jesus' teaching suggests that old wineskins need to be replaced when they no longer serve their purpose. Today, many churches are realizing they need a new approach to ministry. While this realization can be daunting, it also brings excitement as churches consider their potential for future impact.

Rediscovering an Ancient Method

There is a new wineskin that is, in fact, very old. Many churches, including the one I serve, are rediscovering this timeless method.

The Versatility of Dinner Church

This new wineskin is particularly suited for small and medium-sized churches, which describes most churches today. It can be implemented in any context, from small rural towns to bustling city centers. It doesn’t require a million-dollar facility or a big budget. Nor does it need a dynamic praise team with high-end technology.

Simple Requirements

What it does require is simple: some tables and chairs, a community space, and a team of people ready to prepare, serve, and clean up a meal. It needs someone who can share an engaging story about Jesus and lead the community in prayer. Most importantly, it requires an environment rich in the grace and love of Jesus Christ.

Building Community

At these shared meals, strangers become friends, and friends become family. No one eats alone unless by choice. Returning guests are greeted by name, and through these gatherings, people experience the transformative power of belonging. For many, belonging leads to believing. Here, people meet Jesus and feel the love of God and His people.

If this sounds like church, it’s because it is – Dinner Church.

Historical Context

Dinner Church is not a novel idea. Following Peter’s first sermon recorded in Acts 2, 3,000 people accepted his message and were baptized. Instead of organizing a megachurch, they did what they repeatedly witnessed their Savior do. They ate together. They met together in homes, breaking bread together, devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and prayer. They organized Dinner Churches!

Reflecting on Your Church's Mission

Consider this: when was the last time your church welcomed someone new who was being saved? This isn’t to induce shame but to highlight a reality many churches face. Has the gospel lost its power? Has the Church lost its missionary zeal? Or is it time for a new wineskin?

Important Note

Dinner Church is not a silver bullet to save your church. If survival is your church's goal, Dinner Church isn’t for you. Self-preservation was never the Church’s mission.

Taking Action

If, on the other hand, your church genuinely cares, or even desires to care (how can you care for people you don’t know) for the many people in your community who are isolated, lonely, longing for community, and longing for Jesus even though they may not know it, then why not consider swapping out a dusty pew for a lively table and see what happens? If that’s too great of a leap to take, why not conduct an experiment? Try adding a Dinner Church experience to your weekly Sunday morning experience and see what happens?

Potential Outcomes

Here’s what could happen:

• You’ll be celebrating the birthday of a 100-year-old man for whom Dinner Church is the highlight of his week.
• You’ll be coming alongside that single mom who’s battling to make it through another day. What you may or may not know is that it’s her experience at Dinner Church that is helping provide the strength for her to keep going.
• You’ll be invited into the beautiful and messy lives of the people in your community. Now that you know them, you’ll see them everywhere, and you’ll wonder, “How is it that I never saw you before?”
• You’ll enter into a relationship with people who would never have considered setting foot in your Sunday morning worship service.
• You will discover that the people you desire to reach are better equipped than you are to reach into your community with the love of Jesus.
• You’ll be going to Farm and Fleet and purchasing a huge trough to conduct a baptism for a member of your community who tells you she wants to be baptized.
• You’ll witness an awakening in the people of your traditional church who serve and experience the joy that only comes from being in the trenches in ministry.
• You’ll be wishing that you could clone yourself so that you could sit and eat at more than just one table.
• You’ll soon be dreaming about starting a second Dinner Church in another location.

If these scenarios excite you, then this is what you need to hear: BY GOD’S GRACE, YOU CAN DO IT!

Encouragement and Resources

I know you can do it because we did it, and your church and our church are probably a lot alike – filled with people who want (who are actually starving) to make a difference, people who are eager to invest themselves in something meaningful. Your church is filled with evangelists who sadly think they’re not evangelists because they’ve never led anyone to Christ by sharing a scripted gospel illustration or a rote prayer, but sit them down at a table and they’ll be making meaningful, life-changing friendships in no time.

Chances are your church has almost everything it currently needs to do Dinner Church. With a little bit of learning and courageous leadership, you will soon be telling wonderful stories about how God is using your church to reach people you presently don’t even know.

There’s a growing community of Dinner Churches and many resources available. At CrossView Church, we benefited greatly from Verlon Fosner’s book, [Welcome to Dinner, Church][1], and Fresh Expressions (freshexpressions.us).

[1]: There’s a growing community of Dinner Churches and many resources available. At CrossView Church, we benefited greatly from Verlon Fosner’s book, “Welcome to Dinner, Church,” and Fresh Expressions (freshexpressions.us).

Final Thoughts

As with every endeavor, leadership is crucial. I pray that you, by the Spirit’s leading, find the courage to conduct a Dinner Church experiment in your setting and see what surprises God has in store for you.

Five Lessons from Launching a New Dinner Church

Our small and traditional congregation recently held our first Dinner Church gathering. Although I have been a part of this before, I’m learning a lot from this experience.

Lesson 1: Churches Have Not Adapted

In working with Fresh Expressions and Dinner Church, I have become convinced that the Dinner Church model is one way forward for the mission of the Church in the challenging days in which we live.

My denomination has been in decline since 1967. We’ve lost two-thirds of our membership in the same time that the United States has doubled in population. A friend once commented, "We’re celebrating that our decline this year was less than last year!"

In a similar vein, I serve a small congregation. Our average Sunday attendance is about 50 people, slightly below the national average of 65. I believe that this decline comes down to one foundational issue: the church has not adapted to the Post-Christendom, and now post-pandemic, world.

I grew up in a Christendom world. There was one gas station that was open on Sundays in our small town in Georgia. On Wednesdays, businesses around the court square closed at noon so people could go to Wednesday night church services and prayer meetings. Everyone was assumed to be Christian, at least culturally. I remember the scandal when a small chain department store came to our community and was open on Sundays from 1 pm to 5 pm.

Our model for church, with our steepled buildings, religious language, and particular rituals, will inevitably have limited success in a Post-Christendom world. We need “fresh expressions” of church that are designed for our new world, and Dinner Church is a prime example. Dinner Church is easy for many churches to understand. We are well-versed in potlucks; we simply need to bring some Gospel intentionality to the tables we set.

Lesson 2: A Few Preparations Go a Long Way

The successful launch of our new Dinner Church came as a surprise to many in the congregation. About 30% of the people who came were unaffiliated with our church. Getting to this point took about six months of preparation.

We began with some simple training and introduction of the concept. I led sessions on understanding God’s mission and the opportunities for our congregation in our context. We also spent dedicated time in prayer and listening. We did prayer walks and took notice of what immediately surrounded us. We paid attention to the Spirit’s leading and got the impression we should throw the net at those who lived within walking distance of the church’s property in a historic neighborhood in our community. So, we prayed for open doors and open hearts. On our prayer walks, we had conversations with our neighbors who were out and about. We handed out invitations and hung them on mailboxes. We simply got to know our neighbors by being in the community among them. In Fresh Expressions, we talk about the importance of starting any initiative with listening and building relationships, and that’s exactly what we did. It was through these conversations that we learned that a shared meal and a different form of spiritual community could be exactly the thing that would draw disconnected neighbors together.

Lesson 3: Keep It Simple and Fun—but Good, Too

From there, we prepped for the event we ended up calling "The Neighborhood, a Community Dinner." We had a great menu, a lot of help in the kitchen, and people willing to sit at tables to have conversations with our guests.

The fresh expressions approach invites us to love, serve, and build friendships with those God is placing in our path, and we sensed that radical hospitality was one important way to love and serve these neighbors. So, we prepared a lavish dinner of homemade rice bowls with every imaginable topping, to the rave reviews of our guests. We gave out door prizes of gift cards from local establishments and fostered many playful moments of laughter and fun. The conversation flowed around tables, and there was a very real sense that something special was happening as we broke bread together.

Lesson 4: Be Clear About Why You Are Doing What You Are Doing

The Fresh Expression journey always invites us to consider how God might be seeking ways to deepen a sense of community and explore discipleship with people. Sometimes exploring discipleship is something that emerges over time through deepening relationships, and sometimes it is embedded from the start of a fresh expression initiative. Our Dinner Church had a “from the start” mentality—we wanted to demonstrate from the start that this was more than just a fun community meal; it was also a form of spiritual community gathered around Jesus. We had sensed that even in this very first gathering, there was an opportunity to dig into the loneliness of our own community. So as people were coming to the end of their dinner, we shared this 2-minute video that depicted what the Neighborhood dinner was about—building community. Then, I stood and shared a Jesus Story from John 1:14 (the Message): "The Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, Generous inside & out, true from start to finish."

I spoke about the epidemic of isolation and loneliness in our culture and society. At the core, Christianity is about relationships, with God and our neighbors. Jesus loved everybody: Roman Soldiers, Tax Collectors, Prostitutes, Foreigners, the Infirmed, Religious Folks, the Lost, the Lonely, and the Least. We are to love God and love our neighbors. To quote an old Andraé Crouch song: "Jesus still is the answer for the world today!" (listen if you like)

We finished by inviting people to write any prayer requests they had on post-its and stick them to the cross that hangs on the wall—we collected 20 or so prayer requests that were given to our women’s prayer group. I said a final blessing, and we were done—but people stayed around for another 30-45 minutes. It was a joy-filled evening. I sensed deeply the Holy Spirit’s presence in all we did.

Lesson 5: Know Your Next Step

We are on our way to the final step in a Fresh Expression in that a real authentic form of church begins to emerge around dinner tables, as rhythms of spiritual community begin to form and people come into the life of the gospel. That may take a while, but that is where we are headed, and then, as we often say, "Go and do it again." That is our plan as we hope for a dozen new neighborhood/community dinners to be planted in our community and beyond.

Our next "The Neighborhood / Community Dinner" is planned for later this month, and the hope is that by autumn it will be a weekly event.

This is the story of a specific church’s journey into a Fresh Expression of church, this one happens to be around a Dinner Table. I believe as people see what can happen around a table, they will begin to see it can happen at a gym, a restaurant, a pub, a park, a cul-de-sac; wherever people gather.

You can learn about Fresh Expressions or Dinner Church. There is training available on many levels, support, resources, and encouragement in a new missional journey.

God’s Promise

In a recent sermon, I shared with the congregation: if we would be faithful, to listening and obeying The Lord, there are three promises we would experience:

We would see miracles. Things will happen beyond our explanations. People would be healed, there will be unexpected supernatural provision, lives will be changed, prodigals will come home, broken hearts mended, captives set free.

God would use us in surprising ways. People will find themselves saying things they didn’t even know they knew. God will work in us, for us, and through us, and we will be astonished.

We will not contain the growth. There is a plentiful harvest. The lost, lonely, and isolated will find meaning and purpose, connection, and community. For us, it is starting around a table where they are truly loved.

Pentecost Sunday happens in the coming days in the church calendar, where we remember and celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit to empower the church to proclaim the good news of salvation, redemption, and reconciliation that is given to those who believe in Jesus. We had a Pentecost moment at our first Dinner Church—there were miracles of kindness and love, God used us and each other, we grew in our Neighborhood and with our neighbors! We saw, touched, heard, and felt the Holy Spirit around our tables. If you want these things, then: pray; set a table; prepare a meal; invite your neighbors and see what happens!

Why is Dinner Church Trending?

For the first three hundred years of Christianity the church functioned primarily around dinner tables.

In the book of Acts, the church was found breaking bread from house to house. As Gentiles began to start churches they created the Agape feast church. The first followers emulated Christ’s pattern, and gathered the poor and the strangers around tables of food to talk about Jesus. Dinner Church was their form of church.

Surprisingly, this approach still functions as well today as it did in the Apostolic Era, and is now spreading across our nation at a surprising rate. Observing this wide-ranging effectiveness has led me to make an audacious proposal: that every church in America considers planting a dinner church congregation.

Here's one reason why Dinner Church is having such success:

The Neighborhoods We Missed

An honest review of the locations of most traditional churches reveals that we have placed our church campuses primarily in middle and upper class locations while excluding the lower-third neighborhoods.

We did not do this because we were elitists, but rather because we needed to be in locations that could afford our rather expensive brick-and-mortar church model. Numerous decades of this thinking has left us under-practiced in reaching the least, the last, the lost, and the left-behind. Yet, these are the very ones our Master reached for first when he was on earth.

That should make us pause.

While most churches assume that the lower-third populations would come into their worship gatherings if they wanted to, the sad fact is they are not coming for reasons of sociological misalignment. It is difficult to sing three worship songs and listen to a 45-minute sermon when you are worried about what your children will eat that night, and how you are going to make rent the next day.

Dinner churches, on the other hand, demonstrate a visible understanding of primary human needs. Their gatherings begin with abundant tables filled with free food and end with a sense of family that embraces the neighbors who are used to being ignored and shunned. To do a church for these isolated friends, in a nearby community center, and in a way that meets their physical and inclusion needs with a big family table, is a great thing.

Isolated neighborhoods make up a larger portion of our towns than most church leaders realize. To look at the average town through the lens of economic theory leads us to acknowledge that one out of every three neighborhoods in every town is where the lower-third lives. Which means it is likely that there is a sore neighborhood within the shadow of almost every steeple across the land.

Church for People Who Don't Go to Church

Most leaders feel a pull to reach all the types of people who live in their towns. In Romans 1:14 Paul declared that he felt a great obligation to reach the Barbarian and the Greek, the uneducated and the educated alike. What sober-minded leader does not feel the same?

If we can make a way for the lower-third in our towns to be with Jesus, like we have made a way for the upper tier populations, I am quite sure most leaders will. Though a dinner church reaches more than the isolated populations, it is a joyful thing to watch these vulnerable neighbors make their way into our rooms, into our hearts, and right into the life of Jesus.

The average church has become so ineffective at reaching the lost that they have given up on evangelism. Any group that has lost their confidence in reaching the lost will soon adopt the idea that their church is here to only edify believers.

My denomination recently reported that eighty percent now believe that church is for the “already saved.” The shift we feared is already happening in our ranks, as is similarly true for most other denominations in America. It seems we have not paused to consider that our teaching-based forms of church might be the problem. I sense that we have more of a sociological problem than anything.

You just cannot teach someone to Christ; Christ must be revealed. Historically, Jesus revealed himself to sinners at dinner tables more than anywhere else.  This is the sweet spot of the dinner church vision; it creates a place where Jesus will predictably reveal himself to all kinds of people.

And that is beautiful to watch.

Three Roadblocks to Dinner Church

You love the idea of dinner church, and you might even feel that God has directed you on this journey. If your experience is like mine, you will face some roadblocks. I faced three major difficulties, and I found the Dinner Church School of Leadership (DCSL) essential for overcoming them.

Roadblock #1: No Formal Education

I didn’t graduate from high school and later acquired my GED. Although I am an avid reader and believe in the importance of a good education, I did not attend college prior to DCSL. So, don’t let a lack of education disqualify you from pursuing this opportunity!

Don't let your level of education hold you back from your mission. And don't feel overwhelmed by the thought of a college-level course.

Roadblock #2: I Have a Full-Time Job

The DCSL is user-friendly. I have a full-time secular job where I work 40 hours a week, and I was able to integrate this into my schedule. The mentors and teachers were accommodating, and they assured me they had designed the course for people with busy lifestyles.

Roadblock #3: Doubt

Along my journey, I found myself asking, "Can I start a dinner church?"

The answer to this question is a resounding "No, you cannot," but also, "Yes, we can together!"

DCSL teaches us that Dinner Church is a "joint venture." God is at the helm, and many others are by our side. We have teammates, and this school, mentors, and teachers help guide us into how that is possible.

I knew that I didn’t simply want to pastor a single Dinner Church but wanted to be a part of an initiative to see my entire region touched and changed by the power of planting Jesus around tables.

I'm glad doubt didn't stop me! Since graduating from DCSL, I have helped to plant three Dinner Churches in our surrounding communities. I continue to use what I have learned and studied to help train and equip others as we see more on the horizon.

Removing Your Roadblocks

Hopefully, my story has helped to remove some of your roadblocks. I believe now more than ever, God is raising leaders up to rebirth this apostolic era style of church in order to reach into the cracks and crevices of our society and find the lost, the last, the least, and the left behind.

The Red Cup

She has a red cup. 

That's what I notice first, sitting near the end of the table, a red cup flanked by a water bottle and two Mountain Dews. Old habits die hard. 

Setting The Big Table

The Big Table Dinner Church meets twice monthly in a small room at the transitional housing facility. Nick opens with a prayer. I lean in the doorway to quickly move to the dimly lit hallway, where I will serve slices of pizza from boxes stacked on a cluttered entry table. As we bow our heads, I notice she is quietly crying, obviously trying to hide her distress.

My friend Rachel and I place two pieces of pizza on each paper plate as Tim, Frank, and Nick move in and out, serving the guests. That task completed, Rachel chooses her pizza and sits down across from Lief, starting a conversation about the famous person he is named after. Tim and Frank scatter to chat and eat with other guests. They raise their hands and call for more napkins, forks, or ranch dressing (a favorite pizza condiment at The Big Table). 

As Nick and I spread throughout the room, I see her raise her hand. “Do you have those red pepper packets?” I tell her I am sorry we don’t, so she asks for more ranch dressing. When I bring it to the table, I strike up a conversation.

I'm Here to Cry With You

“So, you like hot and spicy?” She nods her head. “What other spicy things do you like to eat?”

She starts rattling off a list of foods, but her voice quickly trails away. She wipes her eyes and apologizes. “I have cancer. I am just now recovering to the point that I can start eating again. This is my first time here. When I saw you were serving Pizza Hut…” More tears. More apologies. “I grew up in western Kansas. All our town had was a Pizza Hut.” She is overwhelmed, unable to go on, unable to eat.

“Do you want to step out into the hall with me?” I ask gently, my hand on her shoulder. She sniffs and nods.

In the hall, she starts telling me her story of a 7-inch-long tumor removed from under her tongue. How she couldn’t eat. Lots of therapy. At one point, she could only pour room-temperature water into the lid of a bottle and sip it by turning her head toward her shoulder. 

She breaks down. I ask her if she would let me hug her. Nodding, she leans into my arms, sobs wracking her body. I hug her tightly.

It subsides. She steps away and apologizes for crying. I try to console her, though I must admit to feeling overwhelmed and helpless. 

“You do not have to be sorry," I say. "I am here to cry with you.” 

People move in and out of the hall: the director who runs the homeless shelter, servers fixing seconds, latecomers to the table. She is self-conscious, but there is nowhere else to go. She looks so dejected that I reach out to hold her again as she weeps into my shoulder, apologizing when she has breath. The hall clears. We hear Nick reading the Jesus story. She says, “I should go back in there.” She turns, takes a step, and immediately the tears flow.

“We don’t have to go back in. It’s okay. We can stay out here and talk,” I assure her. She steps towards me for another hug. I whisper, “How long has it been since you have had someone to hold you when you cry?”

She shakes her head. “I don’t know.” Tears, sobs, sniffs, arms wrapped around each other. She continues to tell her story when she is able to speak, then clings to me, head on my shoulder when the emotion floods her. The story comes in fragments. She has lost her job, her home. Lost her ability to speak clearly. Lost the capacity to enjoy normal food. In a moment of wry humor, she grins, “I even lost 95 pounds. It’s a good thing I had all that extra weight.”

The Shortest Verse in the Bible

I look her in the eye. “I am so sorry. You have suffered much. You are an overcomer.” More tears. More hugs. More apologies. Again, I whisper, “Do you know what the shortest verse in the Bible is?” 

She shakes her head. “It’s ‘Jesus wept.’ Did you know that Jesus wept?” Again, she shakes her head and gulps out a sob. I continue murmuring words of comfort. “He expects us to cry. You do not have to apologize. Jesus created us with emotions. I am sure that He is crying with us right now. He created the world to be good, but sin destroyed it. Life was not designed to be like this.”

Her story pours forth. “I have an appointment tomorrow. I don’t know what the doctor will say. I have been feeling really tired lately. I am worried. I only know one other person with the rare type of cancer I have, and he died.” She clings to me, unable to go on; I hug her fiercely.

Again, I whisper, “You know, we all are going to die. Everybody dies. Are you afraid to die?”

She nods, shoulders shaking.

“Then cry out to Jesus. Cry out to Him.”

She is quiet and heads back into the gathering space. I follow. She hesitates at the doorway. “Go on,” I tell her, “I will sit with you.” The story draws to a close. Nick prays. Thank yous and goodbyes are shared as the director leads the guests out of the building; Nick urges them to take another bottle of water or pop on their way out.

The Red Cup

She lingers, intently sifting through pictures on her phone. She wants to show me what her mouth looked like before and after the tumor. But she can’t find it. I urge her to leave with the others. I don’t want her to get locked out of the dorm, left to spend the night on the streets. She puts the Mountain Dew and water bottles in the big pockets of her oversized coat, uneaten pizza in one hand, red cup in the other. I tell her I will be praying for her. She thanks me.

Will I see her again at The Big Table in two weeks? What will the doctor say? Will she find more permanent housing? Will she recover? Will she die? I don’t know the answers to these questions, but I do know that Jesus met her at The Big Table with a Supreme from Pizza Hut and a Mountain Dew poured into her red cup.

The Thing About Preaching

Mar. 1, 2023.One day John's disciples came to Jesus and asked if he was really the Messiah. Jesus told them to go back and tell John, who was in prison at the time, about all the miracles occurring and how the gospel is being preached to the poor. (Matt. 11:5; Lu 7:22) Is it possible we are routinely developing our preaching around scriptural themes, while forgetting that the first focus might have less to do with content and more to do with who we are preaching too?

According to Jesus, preaching to the poor is in itself a telltale sign that the Messianic age is upon us.In 2004, Paul Engel and Gary McIntosh researched the Characteristics of renewal movements in church history, and found the following commonalities: 1)A rediscovery of the heart of the gospel, 2)A tension with institutional forms, 3)Catalytic leaders, 4)Rediscovering a sense of community, 5)Active discipleship as the norm for all members, 6)Ordinary Christians are released to ministry, and 7)Preaching the gospel to the poor. Whether it was the four Great Awakenings between 1730 - 1890, the American Pentecostal Revival of 1900, or the Welsh Revival of 1904, there was a consistent return to preaching the gospel to the poor.

This research thrills me, especially when I consider what the Spirit is raising up with the Dinner Church movement. All of the characteristics listed above are increasingly becoming commonplace among our many Jesus Tables. I am not saying the Dinner Church wave will reach to the heights of the Great Awakening or the Pentecostal Revival, but I do feel a deep kinship with the highpoint's of church history and the work of our Founder as we preach the stories of Jesus to the poor at tables hundreds of dinner tables every night across the land. There is a holy alignment that occurs when we focus our preaching on the poor. And that is worth some deep meditation.

Blessings & Boldness,

Verlon 

Bus People

Feb. 15, 2023.Melodee and I just returned from Israel a few days ago, and it was so wonderful to see many of the holy sites. However,  there was one that rather stunned me because of the sacred/profane paradox it offered.

We were sitting on some bleachers prior to going into the Garden Tomb, and the tour guide was orienting us to what we were about to see. She started her lesson talking about the place of Jesus' crucifixion, and that most Bible scholars believe that Golgotha, which means 'the place of a skull' refers a cliff that has a few cave openings that resemble eye-sockets, nasal and mouth openings. And further it is believed that Jesus was crucified at the bottom of this cliff with the skull imagery behind him, rather than on "a hill far away", as the hymn suggests. After explaining this, our tour guide pointed out that we were sitting right next to that cliff and the likely crucifixion site. And sure enough, when we looked to our right, there was a cliff with cave openings in full view only 200 yards away.

But then things got crazy, because backed up against the bottom of that skull cliff was a paved parking lot for the Jerusalem metro busses. Dozens of busses were stacked end to end; some were trying to get out; some were trying to get parked; horns were honking; it was chaos. At times it was so noisy we could hardly hear our guide talk. The very place where Jesus likely became the sacrificial lamb of the world is now completely consumed by a public transit system.

I was annoyed that someone hadn't captured that location and created a meditation site so people could sit, look upon the place of the Savior, and recapture the wonder of their salvation. But then I was reminded that Jesus was born in a barn, spent his infancy running from the government, gave his days to the outcast, the broken and the sick, and was crucified between thieves. So why should we be surprised that his crucifixion site has now been offered to the 'bus people'? There is something holy about this.

Blessings & Boldness,

Verlon

Sea of Galilee

Feb 2, 2023

Today Melodee and I are in Israel, staying in a kibbutz beside the Sea of Galilee. I am writing this blog overlooking the water from our back deck that is only 200 ft from the waters edge. I’m wondering how many times Jesus and the disciples walked by this exact piece of lakeshore? Was this near the place where Jesus healed hundreds of people, and then had to teach from a boat because the pressing throng? Or maybe one could have seen Jesus walking on the water from this point during that storm? Or perhaps this was near the place Jesus cooked the disciples breakfast on an open fire and restored Peter after his failures? Whatever May have happened on this spot, Melodee and I are stirred beyond words to be walking across the same stones as our Lord did.

We do not represent a mythical diety that has created a religious following, but we bear witness to the stories of Jesus that happened right here…on this little strip of Palestine the size of New Jersey. Jesus happened here! Jesus changed the world from here! This Jesus is our story!Blessings & Boldness,Verlon

A New Passover

Jan 25, 2023.

I have always enjoyed the story about the 12-year old Jesus left behind in Jerusalem (Luke 2). When his parents returned to search for him, they found him in the temple discussing spiritual things with the priests. I have chuckled to myself when Jesus replied to his parents, "Didn't you know I would be about my Fathers Business?" This past week I noticed that several translations say, "Didn't you know I would be in my Fathers House?" I fear those translations are trying to accommodate the modern version of Christianity who's primary expression is attending church gatherings. But the older translations who depict Jesus' answer as doing his fathers work or being about his business are more accurate. In Jesus Hebraic world, spirituality was always proven by corresponding engagement in good works; going back and forth to synagogue would never be sufficient. Our primary metric of Western Christianity is church attendance, which it is not the same as doing the Fathers work, and needs to come under a serious review. I am so thankful for the Fresh Expressions movement that is giving leadership to the established church about engaging in the lives of different people groups in their towns. This takes Christian spirituality outside of our buildings, which is an important first step toward good works.

There is another truth that emanates from this story of the misplaced boy-Jesus. Lu 2:41 states that every year Jesus' parents went to Jerusalem for Passover. Thus, by the time he hosted the Last Supper with his disciples on the night before he went to the cross, he had celebrated the Passover remembrance dozens of times; he had a deep and practiced understanding of this annual meal event which celebrated Israels miraculous deliverance from Egypt's slave program 700 years earlier. Jesus also knew full well that on that final night, he was altering the reason for the Passover from God's rescue of Israel, to Jesus' rescue of mankind. It was the New Passover they celebrated that night. And then he told them to do this and remember him going forward. He gave them a vision for doing church. It is from that inaugural event on the first Holy Week that the dinner church finds its traction. So as you gather for your next dinner church event, please pause to remember that you are practicing the same New Passover Jesus handed to his disciples...and to us...2000 years later.

Blessings & Boldness,

Verlon

Greater Works

Jan 18, 2023.The healings, miracles and works of Jesus are legendary. These miracle stories have built our faith as pastors, and enabled us to stir the imagination of our audiences. Most of us do not try to explain them away as exaggerations; we believe them. Many are also recorded in secular historical records, making it difficult to relegate them to mythology or folklore.Given the radical nature of these historical stories, it can be difficult to digest Jesus' words, "Most assuredly I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father" (John 14:12). That is such a lofty promise, but Jesus forwarded it to his leaders none-the-less. Then, we watched these works flood into the ministries of the first disciples - they preached everywhere with great power and worked miracles which proved their message was true (Mark 16:20). Before we even get to the end of Acts these first followers were arguably surpassing the works of Christ; they were praying over hanky's that healed people who touched them later; even their shadows coming across sick people healed them as they walked by. Remarkable. Greater works indeed.What about our ministries today? Could it be that Heaven has some 'greater works' ready to pour into each of our stories? Are you feeling stirred to start praying for some unexplainable things?Remember, Jesus promised us 'greater works' if we'd reach for them. If we have learned anything at our dinner church tables in Seattle, it is the more we pray healing prayers the more healing occurs. That is a great place for any dinner church team to start reaching.Blessings & Boldness,Verlon

Only The Shepherds...

Jan. 11, 2023I know that Christmas is over, but there are a few points from the incarnation stories that I am still mulling over.Luke 2 records that the angels only visited and invited the shepherds on that Holy Night. Shopkeepers, townspeople, and hostels full of visitors were not invited to come and view the newborn Messiah - only the lowly shepherds. Most of us have preached how the shepherds were the lowest in the social order and received a meager subsistence income for a difficult lifestyle. But they were the ones invited to come to the infant Christ. Further, they were told to look for a baby sleeping in an animal feeding trough. So, when they went looking through the animal enclosures, they found the Savior exactly as the angels had said. Only the shepherds knew what it was like to sleep with animals; only the shepherds were invited.We often say that the ground is even at the foot of the cross. And while I believe that everyone is welcomed equally, not everyone is sought equally. There is a clear preference throughout scripture about seeking the "least of these" first. While this doesn't sit well with some of our egalitarian theologies, it remains an unavoidable truth. One of Thomas Merton's famous quotes: "Those who abandon everything in order to seek God know well that he is the God of the poor."I know there are dinner churches across the country filled with all kinds of people other than the financially challenged - and I am thankful. But, let's remember that heaven offers its loudest invites to the poor. I know there are many churches effectively serving middle and upper neighborhoods - and again I am thankful. But, let's remember that Jesus wants to redeem the sore neighborhoods too.We estimate there are 350,000 neighborhoods in the US that have a low ratio of churches but a high ration of isolated residents. Is there a neighborhood like that near you? That is a great place for a dinner church congregation to be planted. And trust me when I say: Jesus REALLY wants to sit and eat with those neighbors.Blessings & Boldness,Verlon 

FOREVER!

Dec. 14, 2022.Kingdoms upon this earth have never lasted; all governments have faded with time. Dating back to the first world power when Alexander the Great cried because there were no more worlds to conquer, til the Romans overthrew the Greeks, and then the Visagoth’s overthrew the Romans. Soon the French, and Germans and and Brits would all take their turn as super powers. In recent decades it has been the US holding the greatest sway over world events. But we too are now going the direction of so many before us, and are showing signs of a society in retrograde. The grand point of this chronology is this: kingdoms do not last forever. Against that earthly history, I am greatly intrigued by what the angel Gabriel spoke to Mary about her forthcoming son, “He will be great, He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” (Lu. 1:32-33). Those words are startling. Think of it - a government that will never lose its reign. And this is the kingdom we represent. This gospel that was birthed upon the earth 2000 years ago will never cease to be an influential kingdom upon the earth. Kings and tyrants have predicted Christianity’s demise, famous sociologists have declared that the Church will soon become invisible, and at times it might even feel like they are right and that momentum is waning. But in the face of these falterings I will recall Gabriels prophecy, that our Lord’s kingdom will never fall and his government will be the singular movement upon the earth that will never fade into irrelevance. Jesus’ leadership is FOREVER. The kingdom we serve is FOREVER! Merry Christmas,Verlon

Unexplainable and Impossible

Dec. 7, 2022.This time of year my heart is drawn to the incarnation stories. I don't know why, but I usually skip the Zacharias & Elizabeth story and jump forward to Mary and Joseph. And yet it is such a necessary thing to start the advent story where Luke did. Young Mary was about to enter a twilight zone type experience involving angels, an unexplainable pregnancy, scandal, and an undeserved disturbance in her engagement. She needed some large doses of reality to help her process all of the mystical occurrences and become a willing participant in the unexplainable and impossible plan of incarnation. Heaven presupposed her emotional need and sent her to her cousin Elizabeth, who had experienced similar impossibilities, and was now six months pregnant. For Elizabeth it all started one unassuming day when her husband Zacharias, a priest, took his shift at the temple. While there an angel appeared and told him that his wife would bear a child and he was to call him John. Zacharias struggled with the details of this message, after all his wife was old and barren, and the name John was a departure from the family name. Given his doubts, the angel caused him to become mute until the baby was born. But during Elizabeth's pregnancy young Mary arrived, and was told of the infant John leaping within Elizabeths womb at Mary's arrival, of the angel visitation, of Zacharias' muteness, and then of the unexplainable pregnancy. This was exactly what Mary needed - to hear a 'real-time' story that was similar to the mystical and unexplainable and impossible events that were now happening to her.We must pause to remember that the way Jesus came to this earth was not, and will never be, a logical story. It pushes the boundaries of reason. And as Christian leaders we have been called to lead the ongoing ripples of this gospel story. We have been asked to engage in the unexplainable and help usher in downloads from heaven that are flatly impossible from time to time. Faith by nature has an illogical component to it. And being a leader in the Faith has an illogical component as well. But rest assured, heaven will pre-suppose our need for some 'real-time' examples like was done for Mary. My father once told me, "Be sure to read the biography's of Men and Women of God on a regular basis. In so doing you will be in the company of those who had to trust God deeply and take large steps of faith. You will find this to be very encouraging throughout your days and the faith steps you will be asked to take." I have remembered my fathers words often. And I am glad I took his advice, because the unexplainable and the impossible have both arrived at my door numerous times. It is the way of the gospel...oh servant of God!Blessings & Boldness,Verlon

A Particular Gratitude

Nov. 16, 2022.With Thanksgiving just around the corner, there is a particular divine outpouring that is occurring of which I am deeply grateful...I am thankful for the historic richness of the Jesus Table that is rebirthing before our eyes.I am thankful for how church after church is setting a bountiful table each week - offering a living picture of Christ's lavish Gospel.I am thankful for the sacrifice of leaders and congregations who are entering challenged neighborhoods and traveling distances each week to provide an Agape' Table, because they feel everyone should get a chance to be with Jesus.I am thankful for a renewed understanding of the Jesus Stories which is giving us a powerful voice with our secular neighbors - something that had been lost in recent decades.I am thankful for a new vision of 'koininia' = the deep fellowship that naturally forms at Jesus Tables and among the teams of people who are leading them.I am thankful for the healing that is flowing from our hands - if we are in the 'Jesus Table' business, we are in the 'Healing' business.I am thankful for a re-awakening of the New Passovers which Jesus instituted on the first Holy Week, and the restoration of mission it is offering to the church family.I am thankful for denominational leaders who are welcoming and supporting Dinner Church planting initiatives throughout their ranks, and watching congregations go from 'struggling' to 'thriving'.I am thankful for the many people who energetically gather for Dinner Church trainings across the country because they want to maximize their effectiveness.I am thankful how the Dinner Church is enabling us to live out our foremost Christian vocation - populating heaven.I am thankful for leaders who are engaging the frontlines of the Gospel, where the inbreaking Kingdom of Jesus is advancing against the uprising kingdom of darkness, and are contending in prayer for the souls of their neighborhoods. Darkness and oppression wins until we show up, then the strongman flees (Ja. 4:7)I am thankful that Jesus has opened up for us a door in heaven that no one can close (Rev. 3:7), and if that weren't enough he put the keys to those doors in our pockets (Mt. 16:19) so we can pray with assurance that there will be a constant flow of Jesus' presence, Jesus' healing, and Jesus' embrace at our tables.YES...I am profoundly thankful to be watching the rebirth of the Jesus Table in our lifetime.Verlon 

Headwinds

Oct 26, 2022The Christian movement has always faced headwinds. We need to accept this as a prevailing condition of our calling. Let's remember that our founder faced continual pressure; it even culminated with a riotous crowd screaming for the release of a murderer and the execution of the Messiah-miracle-worker. What? Even Pilate was mystified by this level of injustice? But he gave into the crowd and ordered Barabbas to be free'd and Jesus to be crucified. (Mark 15:15). From that time to the present, Jesus' followers have faced headwinds.Over the years I've watched these winds often arise when mission-minded leaders start talking about opening up a Dinner Church congregation. Reaching isolated people should feel 'noble' to Christians, but oft-times it seems to threaten the insiders somehow, and headwinds begin to blow: "But we are the givers, are they?" "Will the leadership have time for us?", "We have a limited budget you know!" Yes, insider winds will blow. There are outsider winds too. Once our New Passovers become effective and we start populating heaven again, the strongman will react. After all, Jesus Tables naturally start breaking oppressions off of people and plundering the strongman house. These headwinds can be extra blustery, as they are inspired by the uprising kingdom of darkness. Know this: any group using a Jesus Table will find themselves on the frontlines of the gospel, reaching isolated people, populating heaven, and plundering the strongman's house. Given that, you might want to increase the fervor of your prayer life.In our Seattle story, after opening eight Dinner Churches with significant effectiveness, we watched a dark wind blow against us that we were not prepared for. We had outlasted the internal headwinds, we had adjusted for the organizational headwinds, but we simply were not ready for the dark headwinds that "whipped up the crowd" and leveled unjust charges, courts, and government offices against us. That year we learned how powerful dark winds can be. We also learned how powerful bold and expectant prayers can be when practiced by Jesus' people. What was intended for evil, Jesus used it for good. And what was intended to shut us down, Jesus boomeranged it to increase our influence. Amazing. I wouldn't trade 2017 for anything. That was the year we learned how to do more than Jesus Tables, we learned how to pray with bold expectancy and similar to Acts 15:28 spread all-the-more through our city.Are you facing some headwinds? I expect they will soon transform into your greatest influence. That is just what Jesus does with things that bluster against his kingdom.Blessings & Boldness,VerlonPS: In our book: "A Trowel and a Sword", Episcopal Priest Jon Davis and myself (a pentecostal) delve into the topic of spiritual warfare in real time. This is a very practical approach approach to readiness for the front lines. In it I share our Seattle meltdown, and the boomerang Jesus piloted for us. (available on this website)

Heaven's Version of Power

Oct 19,2022.Followers of Christ are dual citizens; we live in this world but we also live in another - the inbreaking kingdom of Heaven. But living in two very different kingdoms at once can get confusing, especially when it comes to leadership. Jesus never got confused about this. In Mark 15, Pilate asked, "are you the king of the Jews?" I love Jesus' response, "Those are your words." That 4-word phrase so crystalizes the issue - this world sees roles and powers one way while heaven sees it completely different. Jesus was a powerful person, so it seemed obvious for Pilate to ask about his kingship and authority. But Jesus was ruled by heavenly metrics, so power positions seemed ludicrous to him. He saw himself as a servant of Fathers will and a servant of this world. There are kings, rulers and leaders upon this earth who happily exercise authority over others. There are even subordinates who try to wield power like kings. These versions of leadership are normal, sadly even in the Church. But these things are not normal in the heavenly realm. How refreshing when Jesus' leaders push back from earthly power identities and opt to walk in the sandals of the Rabbi. Once we decide to put on the servants cloak something quite amazing happens - we release the divine principle of, "less-of-me-always-means-more-of-Him". Big doors start opening, big mountains start moving, Jesus tables start serving, the gospel starts getting preached to the poor, and sick people start getting healed. That is heaven's version of power.Blessings & Boldness,Verlon