A Church/Ministry Preaching Peace Table gathers regularly (weekly/monthly) to discuss the Gospel Lectionary text, asking a simple question: How would we preach and teach this text for peace on behalf of our context and our most vulnerable members? The group represents leaders from a particular church/ministry who is responsible for teaching and preaching in their context.

We invite you to start your own version of an Church/Ministry Preaching Peace Table, in your context:

WHAT ARE THE BASICS?

• The text: Provide the gospel passage of the Revised Common Lectionary.
• A table: Set a table with enough space and chairs to accommodate your group.
• Food: Create space for people to eat. Participants typically bring their own meal.
• People: Invite a core group, but remain open to anyone.

WHO DO WE INVITE?

• Church/Ministry Leaders: This particular type of Preaching Peace table is designed for your church or ministry leaders who are responsible for teaching and preaching in their context.
• Start with a core: It may be tempting to cast a wide net with invitations, but we think it’s better to begin with a core of people who already have some level of trust with each other.

WHERE SHOULD WE MEET?

• Accessibility: Find a location that can be easily attended by all participants.
• Consistency: We suggest meeting at the same place and time to help folks set a rhythm. For example, the Street Psalms Senior Management Team spends time at the beginning of our weekly meeting to reflect on the text together.

WHAT IS THE FACILITATOR’S ROLE?

We have found the table to be a place where less is more. As such the facilitator typically does the following:

• Discern when to shift from eating to discussion, and find volunteers to pray and read the text.
• Open discussion: After the prayer and the reading, open discussion with a prompt like, “What grabbed your attention?” “How do we read the text from below?”
• Closing question: As you sense your time drawing to a close, consider questions like, “How do you preach this passage for peace?” or “Where is the good news in this passage?”