A Seat at the Table...But What About the Kitchen?

You have likely heard the phrase, “You have a seat at the table,” or perhaps, “We want a seat at the table.”

The phrase reflects a desire to participate in decision-making—to have one’s voice recognized as legitimate and influential, rather than merely being present and living with the outcomes.

And while it is good to have a seat at the table, it is far better to be invited into the kitchen.

When you are at the table, you arrive after the decisions have been made. The table is already set. The menu has already been determined.

The kitchen, however, is different. It is chaotic and fast-paced. It is creative and demanding. It is where ideas collide, where experiments are tried, where failures and successes coexist. It is where fusion happens—new expressions are born, and innovation takes shape.

We need to move from occupying a place to participating in the planning.

We need to move from being welcomed to being wanted.

I believe this metaphor speaks powerfully to the Church and how it has been expressed. For many years, businesspeople—and others whose primary ministry is outside the church building—have been invited to the table, but rarely into the kitchen. The Church’s “menu” has often remained familiar and centralized, shaped largely by programs and led by a professional pastorate.

Yet Scripture calls us toward something different.

We are invited to move from centralized leadership to decentralized leadership. We are called to equip the saints for the work of the ministry—a work that takes place primarily outside the church walls. We are meant to live as a priesthood of believers, making room for multiple expressions of the Church. Churches are meant to serve movements, not require movements to serve them.

What we need is unity, not uniformity.

Recently, I heard a compelling metaphor: the Church needs to be like the immortal jellyfish—an organism known for its ability to renew itself by returning to an earlier stage of life rather than dying. In the same way, the Church must continually return to its source. Certain forms may need to die so that new ones can emerge, allowing adaptation without a loss of identity.

This is my prayer for the Church in 2026. It might look something like this:

Every Christian, a disciple and sent.
Every church, a training center.
Every pastor, a master trainer.
Every church, a multiplying church.
Every leader, a leader developer.

There is a beautiful song that captures this vision well. May it inspire us as we step into a new year.

Happy New Year.

T