One of my favorite habits we have in our house church is “Table Questions.”
It isn’t anything super formal. Â We gather in the evening time each week, and begin by sharing a meal. Â We share, laugh, pass the potatoes, and catch up on each other’s lives and missions. Â It feels like a family reunion of sorts.
And then, before finishing up our meal and moving on to a time of prayer and worship, someone shares a specific question at the table that helps guide the conversation into a time of discovery, worship and common reflection.
Table Questions are something you can do in your missional communities, house churches, small groups, or simply your family’s dinner each evening.  It is reminiscent of Jewish practices, where a question is asked at table and there is dialogue and learning – both for the children and adults.  This is where family learning happens!
The table is a place of safety, a place of unity, a place for partaking in food and each other.
To be honest, Table Questions, not carefully thought through before asking them, can lead to disaster. Â Allow the potentially divisive question to wait for another time - Table Questions draws people out, it doesn’t recoil them into hiding. Â It offers a simple starting place for each person to contribute no matter their faith maturity or intelligence, which will help them find their voice later in the evening as you all share in a “worship potluck” (1 Cor 14:26).
Pass around the responsibility of Table Questions to new leaders in your community. Â Give lots of people the chance of fascilitating meaningful conversation. Â Even non-believers in your gatherings can lead this! Â It gives all a sense of ownership, and helps the group cultivate new leaders for new churches not-yet-planted around other kitchen tables!
How to ask a Table Question that leads to life:
- Understandable. Think about the specific words to use.  Say the question once, and say it succinctly.  Make it easy to understand, and folks will be happy to answer.
- Perspectives. Ask questions that point not to hard truths, but to one’s experience. Â For example, don’t ask a question starting with, “Is it right to…” but instead, try, “When have you ever experienced…”
- Value-Driven. Draw on questions that might lead to values your community holds. Â For instance, ask, “What does love look like in your life?”
- Collaborative Questions. Avoid trial matters. Â Avoid doctrinal matters. Â Avoid political positions. Â Again, these things can wait for another time, perhaps later in the evening, or at another gathering all-together. Â The aim here is to cultivate collaboration, not competition.
- Have Fun. Give people opportunities to tell their own story. Â Ask them to share favorite memories, challenging circumstances, and more from their own life. Â Keep a playful spirit about you. Â And always give people the chance to ‘pass.’
Great ways to start a Table Question:
- “When have you ever…”
- “How might we…”
- “In your experience, what does ______ look like?”
- “If you could say one thing to someone else in the room that would build them up, what would you say?”
The table is a sacred space for humans. Â It is where our LORD waits for us – a great banquet table. Â I am sure there will be many questions asked at that table (mostly, us asking God all those BIG questions we have for him…), imagine your Table Questions as an echo to that banquet feast coming soon in Heaven!
Katrina 7:23 pm on June 1, 2011 Permalink
Mark – nice post! When the human “leader” fades out, the true Leader appears…