In this bonus episode, we sit down with Dr. Mike Graves, author of Table Talk and plenary speaker for the Dinner Church Summit 2025 in Pittsburgh (Nov 6–8). He shares the personal story behind his ministry—childhood roots, encounters with Jesus, and the life messages God has entrusted to him. We also get a preview of what excites him about the Table and why it remains one of the most transformative spaces for the Gospel today. Register now for the Dinner Church Summit at freshexpressions.com/dinner-church-summit-2025 Mike Graves is Scholar in Residence at Country Club Christian Church in Kansas City, Missouri. Before retiring from teaching, he was the Wm. K. McElvaney Professor of Preaching and Worship at Saint Paul School of Theology, also in Kansas City. His most recent book is Table Talk: Rethinking Communion and Community. Related Resources: Email us: podcasts@freshexpressions.com Subscribe & Review Help us get the word out by subscribing and leaving a review for Rural Renewal Podcast on your favorite platform. Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts
What if a simple shared meal could transform a disaster into a lifeline of hope and faith? In this episode, we talk with Dean Miller from Impact Missions of the Baptist General Association of Virginia (BGAV) about the Food to Faith Initiative and the role of Dinner Churches in emergency response ministry. Dean shares about his family, the challenges of disaster relief, and powerful stories of lives changed. We also explore how the Church is responding to Food to Faith and his vision for Dinner Churches in BGAV. Join us for a compelling conversation on meeting people in crisis and inviting them into faith—one meal at a time. Dean L. Miller serves as the Team Leader for Impact Missions with the Baptist General Association of Virginia, where he has led mission efforts and disaster relief initiatives since 1999. Dean has extensive experience in ministry leadership, youth missions, and emergency response, serving in both local and international contexts. Related Resources: Read more about Food to Faith here: https://www.bgav.org/blog/food-to-faith-bringing-communities-together-around-a-common-table Email us: podcasts@freshexpressions.com Subscribe & Review Help us get the word out by subscribing and leaving a review for Rural Renewal Podcast on your favorite platform. Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts
What happens when ministry steps outside the walls of tradition and meets people around the table? In this episode, Sandy Johnson shares her journey of planting a Dinner Church in Ocean Shores, Washington, and how this unique model restores dignity and fosters transformation. Sandy reflects on the power of simple obedience, the challenges of earning trust in her community, and the profound spiritual growth she has witnessed. Whether you’re curious about Dinner Church or seeking inspiration for your own ministry, this conversation will leave you encouraged and motivated to follow where God leads. Sandy Johnson is an ordained Assembly of God minister. She pastors The Table @ Ocean Shores. God began talking to them about dinner church during the Covid pandemic, and they launched a dinner church in June of 2022. Related Resources: Read more about Food to Faith here: https://www.bgav.org/blog/food-to-faith-bringing-communities-together-around-a-common-table Email us: podcasts@freshexpressions.com Subscribe & Review Help us get the word out by subscribing and leaving a review for Rural Renewal Podcast on your favorite platform. Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts
Even in the most robust churches, leaders can find themselves disheartened, feeling like their efforts to share the Gospel aren’t making a real impact. The excitement and connection they long to see in their congregations just aren’t there. But what if the answer is as simple as gathering people around a table? In this episode, we talk with David Bennett, a coach for pastors who are ready to try something different. David shares how the simple act of sharing a meal can transform not only churches but entire neighborhoods. Learn how Dinner Churches are helping leaders bring their communities together, sparking genuine conversations and deeper connections. David Bennett is passionate about helping churches engage their communities in a fresh, meaningful way. As the leader of Mission 330 and Mission Converge, he works to equip pastors to build genuine relationships in a post-Christian world. Serving as a U.S. missionary with the Assemblies of God, David focuses on the power of good neighboring and the transformative impact of “table theology” on local ministries. Related Resources: Read more about Food to Faith here: https://www.bgav.org/blog/food-to-faith-bringing-communities-together-around-a-common-table Email us: podcasts@freshexpressions.com Subscribe & Review Help us get the word out by subscribing and leaving a review for Rural Renewal Podcast on your favorite platform. Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts
What does it take for bivocational leaders to build a thriving Dinner Church in the heart of a big city? In this episode, Ben and Jordan Arias share their journey from small-town Georgia to urban Chicago, where they planted two Dinner Churches. They discuss the challenges and rewards of bivocational leadership, the unexpected family they found in Chicago, and the powerful role of Dinner Church in their own lives. Now back in Georgia, Ben and Jordan are opening their own table for a new kind of “Passover,” inviting neighbors and family to experience church as an expression of identity and calling. Listen in for an inspiring story of faith, community, and transformation. Ben and Jordan Arias started their Dinner Church journey 6 years ago. After attending a Dinner Church encounter and the immersion in Seattle, they were ready to set the table in Chicago. Alongside their leadership at Hope Church Lagrange, Ben and Jordan helped plant and pastor 2 dinner churches. After almost 4 years around tables in Chicago, they decided to move south. They are excited to see what God has next for them and dinner church in North Georgia. They have been married for 10 years and love their cat Guppie. Related Resources: Dinner Church Collective (Facebook Page) Email us: podcasts@freshexpressions.com Subscribe & Review Help us get the word out by subscribing and leaving a review for Rural Renewal Podcast on your favorite platform. Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts
Church planting is harder than it used to be. Could Dinner Church provide a new path for denominations, networks and church planters? Don Ross is the superintendent for the Northwest Ministry Network, one of the largest church-planting networks in the Assemblies of God denomination. He has championed a network-wide Dinner Church initiative that has added dozens of new congregations to the states of Washington and northern Idaho over the past few years. In this episode, you’ll hear from Don about how his approach has helped open doors to start Dinner Churches in unlikely places. Help us spread the word about the Dinner Church podcast by subscribing and leaving us reviews on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you enjoy your podcasts. Related Resources: Dinner Church Collective (Facebook Page) Email us: podcasts@freshexpressions.com Subscribe & Review Help us get the word out by subscribing and leaving a review for Rural Renewal Podcast on your favorite platform. Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts
David Brakke was commissioned by his church in Seattle to plant in Billings, Montana, two full states away. Today, established churches in his denomination have started Dinner Churches, and every single one now outnumbers the parent church. In this interview, you’ll hear David reflect not only on the success of this journey but also on the unique difficulties they continue to face. David Brakke and his wife, Hailey, live in Billings Montana with their son Noah. They planted a meal centered church in January 2020 in downtown Billings that is called Dinner Church! They are passionate about leading people to Jesus through meal centered gatherings. They love to travel, exercise, and hangout with friends. Related Resources: Dinner Church Collective (Facebook Page) Email us: podcasts@freshexpressions.com Subscribe & Review Help us get the word out by subscribing and leaving a review for Rural Renewal Podcast on your favorite platform. Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts
Brad Andres planted a traditional church in a small town in Ohio that pivoted to a Dinner Church midstream. Initially, it had significant impact, but then small-town issues pressed against his efforts. In this compelling story, you will see why some leaders are looking for a “mission-first” approach to starting communities of faith. Brad Andres is passionate about people moving one step closer to Jesus. He is an ordained minister in the Assemblies of God and is finishing a Masters of Divinity from Kairos University. Brad lives in Bellevue, OH with his wife Carlie and their three kids: Galilee, Anchor, and Arie. Together, they are living to expand the Kingdom of God one person, one family, one community at a time. Related Resources: Dinner Church Collective (Facebook Page) Email us: podcasts@freshexpressions.com Subscribe & Review Help us get the word out by subscribing and leaving a review for Rural Renewal Podcast on your favorite platform. Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts
How much difference can a Dinner Church make? In this episode, you’ll hear from Beckie Adams, a Dinner Church leader in rural New Mexico. Over two years, their “Jesus Table” congregation has grown to the same size as their Sunday morning congregation. But their numerical success has happened in spite of the drugs, alcohol, and poverty that are an inescapable reality in their region. Listen to this podcast to explore the difference one small church in a small town can make. Beckie Adams felt called to reach out to marginalized populations with a meal and conversation about life for about 15 years. She retired from the secular world in 2021. Although having served as a lay minister in her denomination, she was never ordained nor had any licensure or formal education. After going through the Dinner Church School of Leadership in 2021-2022, she had the framework and details to realize this mission. In January 2023, Neighborhood Dinner @ the Landing was birthed, which Beckie serves as the pastor for this Dinner Church. Related Resources: Dinner Church Collective (Facebook Page) Email us: podcasts@freshexpressions.com Subscribe & Review Help us get the word out by subscribing and leaving a review for Rural Renewal Podcast on your favorite platform. Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts
Every Monday evening in Minerva, Ohio, something remarkable happens inside the Minerva Community Building. Neighbors gather not just for food, but for family, friendship, and faith. At the Binding Hearts Community Dinner, the table becomes a place where loneliness gives way to laughter, and where ordinary people encounter the extraordinary love of Jesus. This Fresh Expression of church has become a lifeline for those who never thought they’d belong in “church.” As one woman testified, the community she found there “saved my life.” What started as a meal is becoming a movement—one that’s reshaping lives, restoring families, and rewriting stories.
“Sometimes, God starts with the simplest ingredients—a conversation, a prayer, a plate of churros—and turns them into something extraordinary.” In this interview, we explore the journey of the Churros and Chocolate Faith Community, a vibrant bilingual and multicultural group dedicated to making disciples of Christ while celebrating cultural diversity. From humble beginnings, they’ve grown into a welcoming space for all.
It’s been said that the seven last words of a dying church are, “We’ve never done it that way before.” Pastor Brett DeHart is not content to maintain the status quo. He’s been the Pastor of Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Augusta for nearly three years now. He is intentional about keeping the church’s traditional worship vibrant, but is very open to new ideas and new ways to meet and minister to people. Aldersgate began in the early 1960’s, as people made the move further out of Augusta. The church has a strong history of reaching families and supporting missions. Its growth continued into the early 2000’s and since that time, attendance has dwindled. Pastor Brett has observed that Covid contributed and probably accelerated what was already going on. One upside to the pandemic was that it gave folks an opportunity to evaluate the role and level of importance the church played in their lives. The church’s traditional worship is still a solid part of the church’s life and ministry. However, as Pastor DeHart is quick to point out, “We are finding new ways to reach new people.” One of those ways is through Messy Church. It got its start about 20 years ago. Pastor DeHart said, “England of course is a good couple of decades ahead of us on the church trajectory. Their churches have declined throughout Europe at a much faster pace than in America. They had to get more innovative and creative sooner, and so we’ve learned some things from them. Messy Church is one of those.” Messy Church started during Covid with three drive-in events. It’s been going on for about 18 months now. It’s an interactive experience for adults and kids with games, crafts, a Bible story, and dinner for the whole family. Messy Church currently meets monthly on Sunday afternoons, with about 50 people participating. “For most of the folks, initially at least, it’s their first church experience, which we’re perfectly fine with,” Pastor DeHart said. “It’s just church done a little differently. The goal was how we can reach people that might not be open to our traditional settings. Recovery, really is in that same vein.”