towards a solution by autobiographically sharing my story for the reader to think about ways the table can see seen as church.
Having served as a College minister in the Seattle area and in growing church in Long Beach California, the author understands the current climate of millennial engagement with churches. His Facebook and Instagram pages as well as his blog would promote this book. Several influential church leaders the author has relationship with would also promote the book.
Having pastored in two churches and studied at Northwest University, Fuller Theological Seminary, and now George Fox Seminary, he has contacts in several groups and
denominations. Competition:
• Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith by Barbara Brown-Taylor, HarperOne, 2012.
• Tablet to Table: Where Community if Formed and Identity is Found by Leonard Sweet, NavPress, 2015.
• Welcome to the Table: Post Christian Culture Saves a Seat for Ancient LiturgybyTony Kriz, Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2011.
Uniqueness: There are many books that focus on millennial engagement with the church and there are many books making the case for various models of church structures. However there is not a book that clearly discusses millennial engagement with church modeled around a table. I believe this book would be unique in that regard while speaking into the growing subject of food and faith. The autobiographical nature of the book speaks to the topic in a new and refreshing way.
Endorsements: Leonard Sweet might consider giving his endorsement to the book when a publisher is found and has Blaine Charette, professor of New Testament Studies at Northwest University has also suggested he would give his endorsement.
Chapter Outline:
Part 1: No Change, No people
In this first section of my book, I will discuss the need for change in the American church today. This section will lay the foundation for my memoir to follow. It is vital to set the stage for the need for change and I will do so by roughly following the first and second section of my dissertation. This section will have three chapters.
Chapter 1:
Millennials are increasing not attending churches in America. The research shows they are spiritual but they no longer desire to gather in contemporary church settings. They are longing for communities that value authenticity, intimacy, and justice. Millennials are the most diverse generation in American history and the first to grow up with the Internet and because of the virtual world they live in, they long to engage their spirituality through the physical world. Gathering as church communities around the table provides the space for Millennials to engage their spirituality through the physicality of the table. Opposed to the contemporary medium of churches gathering around a pulpit and stage, the table offers a medium for authenticity and intimacy to flourish.
Chapter 2:
The early church knew how to engage the surrounding culture with the gospel. This can be seen through the way they cared for each other and in the diversity of their gatherings. They deeply valued community and knew how to thrive in a pluralistic world. As the future of the church considers how to live as faithful witnesses of the gospel in the post modern pluralistic world, it is vital for the church to consider the fruit the ancient church experienced gathering in communities around tables and food.
Chapter 3:
Looking to those who have spent considerable time researching the future of the church, they understand there will be major shifts in the way churches gather in the future. This chapter will explore three respected voices that have done considerable research in the field of the future of church gatherings: Phyllis Tickle, Leslie Newbigin, and Alan Hirsch. Their research points to gatherings that create space for conversation, authentic connections within the context of smaller gatherings.
Part 2: My Tables
Introduction: Right Under Your Nose
The Disciples on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24 did not know Jesus was with them until he broke bread with them at the table. Sharing this story helps to ground the reader in the importance of the table and the recognition that we might not realize our answer to our problem is right under our noses. The church has been struggling with how to reach the millennial generation for years. My solution to the problem is that the ancient medium of the table that has been long forgotten in the church. The table is the anchor point in every home. It is also the place that Jesus established his church, and it is the place he modeled community.
Chapter 4: Shema
In this chapter I open by discussing my childhood table. I share what the table meant to me at our family gatherings. I also share about growing up in a Scandinavian Lutheran Church and how church was really formed for me after church during Coffee Hour. I intentionally start with an overview of how the table became a place of meaning and belonging. The chapter is wrapped in the story and centrality of the Shema to the expression of our faith.