Eating Together As Mission
“From Genesis to Revelation, the table is a place where God reveals Himself, meets needs, welcomes sinners, and forms His people. In our ministry, we’ve found that meals aren’t add-ons when there is time and resources—they’re essential to discipleship and mission.”
When the Lord visited Abraham, a meal was shared (Genesis 18:1–8). When the Hebrews left Egypt, God commanded the Passover meal be eaten together (Exodus 12:1–28). In the wilderness, He provided manna and quail for His people to eat (Exodus 16:11–15; Numbers 11:31–32). When the seventy elders ascended the mountain with Moses, they ate and drank in God’s presence (Exodus 24:9–11). The priests were instructed to keep bread continually before the Lord, and they themselves were allowed to eat the bread of the Presence (Leviticus 24:5–9; 1 Samuel 21:1–6). In Leviticus 3 and Leviticus 7, God gave instructions for fellowship offerings—sacrifices the people would eat before Him in celebration and thanksgiving.
When Jesus came, He shared meals with tax collectors, sinners, disciples, Pharisees, and friends (Matthew 9:10–11; Luke 7:36; Luke 14:1). He fed the multitudes by multiplying loaves and fish (Matthew 14:13–21; 15:32–39). He compared the kingdom of God to a wedding banquet in which many were invited and servants went out to draw and compel people to come. Before He went to the cross, He instituted a meal to be shared in remembrance of Him (Luke 22:14–20). In the early church, believers broke bread in each other’s homes, fed the hungry, and dismantled social and cultural barriers through shared meals (Acts 2:42–47; Acts 6:1–6; Galatians 2:11–14).
Eating in God’s presence and eating with God’s people is a theme that runs throughout Scripture. In our ministry, we have found that sharing food is not just friendly—it’s foundational. Meals open the door to discipleship.
Linger Together, Grow Together
When we first arrived in Taiwan, the church atmosphere wasn’t exactly warm. Most Sundays, within ten minutes after the service ended, everyone was gone. No one lingered. I knew this wasn’t right, but I didn’t know how to fix it.
After about a year, I attended a church training luncheon where I heard what another church was doing, and I decided to try something similar.
We closed the sanctuary doors until five minutes before the service. We filled the lobby with bagels, muffins, and coffee. When people arrived, they couldn’t just walk in and sit alone—they had to stay in the foyer. And the welcome team, coffee cup in hand, was there to greet them, engage in conversation, and help them connect with other members of the church.
We also started serving coffee after the service. Not just any coffee—we upgraded from the cheapest brand to something people actually enjoyed. It cost more, but it was worth it.
Slowly, we changed from a quick-exit church to one that came early and lingered long. People connected across cultural lines. Cliques slowly dissolved. We became a family, not a collection of attendees. And if you were new, someone was looking for you to make sure you felt like you belonged. We began to hear over and over again from newcomers that when they walked into our church, they felt like they had come home—that they had found family.
The Table as Mission
We weren’t just serving food in the lobby—we also began hosting in our home. Bo and I were miraculously able to move out of an apartment into a house in Taipei. We soon began hosting monthly welcome lunches for newcomers.
We found that about 80% of those who came to a welcome lunch would join a small group or start serving in the church. These meals were incredibly fruitful—except for the time I tried to make french fries, accidentally started a grease fire, and filled the house with smoke. It wasn’t quite the impression we were hoping to make… but the house didn’t burn down, and a lesson was learned.
In addition to welcome lunches, we began hosting groups of young adults for meals and holiday gatherings. There was a lot of laughter. Stories were shared. Friendships were formed.
As young men and women from different nations connected in friendship over food, walls fell and hearts opened to the Gospel. They heard the Word of God, were transformed, and began serving in God’s mission. The lonely were placed in families. Prodigals came home. The casual became convicted. The self-focused became mission-focused.
In a world hungry for connection, Bo and I have come to believe that the table is one of the most powerful ways to draw people for Christ. At Nations Church, we long to set the table again—and see God meet people there.
