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.