When you think about those special times with the people who mean the most to you what do you picture? Do you picture Christmas and Thanksgiving dinners, birthday parties, playing cards? I’m sure most of you, like me, picture smiling faces and hear laughter when you think of these special times. But I bet there is a common thread to many of these memories—they happen around a table.

A table is inviting. A place to sit and come together. You can always make room at a table to invite more to join. This is exactly what the Harvest Partnership is doing in the Houston area. Church planters are gathering around what they refer to as the harvest table with a common prayer “to multiply the harvest table,” said Pastor Al Doering, senior pastor at Christ the King Lutheran Church.

The Harvest Partnership, a new name since May 2019, began in 2016 when Christ the King, Pastor Al Doering, and Lamb of God, Pastor Mark Brunette, partnered together to plant a church. The Lord called Pastor Seth Kunze for the role. Kunze and his family planted a church in 2017 named The Dwelling. The Dwelling the harvest table has grown to include church planters such as Rev. Mark and Laura Pullium, Vicar Trey Sansom, and Vicar David Wray. In addition, other leaders from “sending churches” have been added to the partnership, Rev. Ted Benson, Rev. Dr. Steve Sohns, Rev. Doyle Theimer, Rev. John Moore and retired Texas District MMF, Lou Jander.

You may be asking how does this all work? It starts with a “partnering and sending church,” Doering said. A model of right place, right person and right plan. The first step is about building relationships. That right person builds relationships for a year to 18 months in the area and sees what happens. Additionally, they follow a five capitals model:

Spiritual—”Lord send harvest workers”
Relational— building encouraging relationships at the harvest table
Intellectual—common theology
Physical —partnership shares equipment, building space…
Financial— Believing that God will supply through the sending churches, the Texas District, and other sources.

“Multiple churches together. It just works,” Doering said. Please join in praying for this table of our brothers and sisters in Christ. May the Lord continue to bless their work together and grow the harvest table.