Earn a Seat at the Table

When something hard happens in a community, the phone starts ringing. A school principal needs help. A county leader is trying to figure out how to get families through a rough patch. A first responder knows somebody who's fallen through the cracks.

Here's the question: who do they call?

They call the people they already know. Nobody pulls out a phone book in a crisis. They call the folks who have been around, the ones who've proven they'll actually show up.

Churches should know their school leaders, local government officials, nonprofit leaders, first responders, and other people carrying responsibility in their community. Don't wait until you need something from them. Be present. Listen. Learn what is happening in the community, and make it easy for leaders to call the church when a need arises.

This is not about power

Let me be real clear about something. Earning a seat at the table is not about political influence or institutional power. It's not about the church getting its way, or getting its picture in the paper, or having the mayor's ear so we can push our agenda.

It's about trusted relationships, service, availability, and becoming the kind of church local leaders know they can call.

Jesus actually talked about seats at the table. He watched people at a dinner scrambling for the best spots, and he told them a parable:

But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, "Friend, move up higher." Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. (Luke 14:10)

Isn't that something? You don't grab a seat at the table. You're invited to it. And the way you get invited is by taking the low place, serving faithfully, and letting somebody else say, "Friend, move up higher."

What it looks like

So what does being present actually look like? It's not complicated, but it does take intention:

• Serving local schools. Schools carry a big load. Ask how you can help, then do what you said you'd do.
• Supporting teachers and families. Teachers pour themselves out. Families are stretched thin. A church can be a steady encouragement to both.
• Community prayer. Pray for your town and for the people leading it, by name, and let them know you're doing it.
• Helping during crises. When hard times hit, be one of the first to say, "What do you need?"
• Participating in civic events. Show up where the community gathers, not just where the church gathers.
• Meeting practical needs identified by community leaders. Leaders often see needs the rest of us miss. Ask them, and then act on what they tell you.
• Knowing the people responsible for leading the town. Learn their names. Learn what keeps them up at night.

None of that is flashy. Most of it nobody will ever see. That's kind of the point.

Listen first

Most of us would rather talk than listen. Churches are no different. We walk in with our plans and our programs and we tell people what we're going to do for them.

But you earn trust by listening. Ask a leader, "What's happening in our community that I may not know about? Where are the gaps? How can our church help?" Then be quiet and let them answer. You'll learn more in one honest conversation than in a dozen planning meetings.

And make it easy to call. Leaders are busy. If they have to wonder who to talk to at your church, they'll probably just not call. Be the name and number they already know.

Seek the welfare of the city

When God's people were carried off to Babylon, they were living in a place they didn't choose, surrounded by people who didn't share their faith. And God told them something surprising:

But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. (Jeremiah 29:7)

Seek the welfare of the city. Pray for it. Your good is tied up in its good. That's not a strategy for gaining influence. That's a command to love the place where God has put you.

Like Jesus

At the end of the day, this is just what Jesus did. The King of Kings had every right to the head of the table, and he took the towel instead.

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45)

He didn't come to be served. He came to serve, and he gave his life for us. If that's our Savior, then a church that serves its community humbly, quietly, and faithfully is just looking like him.

So go get to know the people carrying the load in your town. Be present before you are needed. And become the kind of church local leaders know they can call.