Table San Diego is a decolonizing, collaborative, and healing-oriented worshiping community. We’re a house church that seeks to create safe, holy spaces for Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ)-identifying people. We also believe white, cisgender, and heterosexual allies belong at the table of community. We’re a Christian community that loves Jesus, yet we also recognize the historic layers of racism, patriarchy, misogyny, xenophobia, and homo/trans/queer-phobias that continue to run dominant in American churches today that embody harmful white, colonial values.

We asked our community to share and describe three (3) foundational values based on their experience with us:

1. Decolonizing: We pay attention to power.

We believe God is bigger than the worldly institutions the Church has put them in. We have seen how colonialism seeded the gospel of Jesus with damaging theology which needs to be sifted out, grieved, and replaced with life-giving truth.

Therefore, we get transparent about ways beliefs and practices historically have harmed others and continue to harm others. We counter western tendencies towards binaries by leaning into complexity and mystery. We pay close attention to power dynamics. This can feel like a scary and intense process, yet we hope to make it less lonely as we navigate it together.

2. Collaborative – we think and act collectively.

We believe that God’s Image lies in all humanity, and we witness a fuller picture of the divine through collective wrestling.

Isolation and segregation have long been tools by those in power to sow helplessness, maintain control, and prevent us from seeing the Image of God in one another. We counter this by building a diverse community and celebrating the characteristics of God in one another. We pursue friendships across lines of difference.

3. Healing-oriented – we are compassionate towards ourselves and others.

We believe that God intends abundant life for all and is actively working for the flourishing of the world and all who live in it.

Therefore, we actively pursue our individual and collective healing, including healing of the land. This looks like therapy, creativity, affinity group reflection, exercise, singing, play, and rest.

STATEMENT OF BELIEF

If you’d like an in-depth review of our governance and polity, please click here to access Table San Diego’s Bylaws (Last Updated: March 2021).

Belonging at the Table

We believe God has set a table and every person is invited to partake in God’s love, grace, and kindness – together. At this table, each person’s voice and story matters. We honor the Imago Dei (Image of God) in each individual. 

We seek to be a community where everyone can be(come) their transparent, true selves as God has created them. Table is a safe space to love and be loved, to know and be known. We’ll grieve, lament, and mourn the heavy things together; and we’ll also laugh and celebrate the joyful things together.

We support people of color, immigrants and refugees, people with disabilities, and all friends who’ve been hurt by the Church. We honor our indigenous community, especially in sacred Kumeyaay land. We affirm marriage equality and celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, welcoming them exactly as they are. We champion their friendship, partnership, and story.

We acknowledge the pain and suffering that the Church at large has caused others. For those of us in positions of power and privilege, we confess our sins, unlearn dangerous beliefs and habits, and seek justice. We also explore ways to dismantle white supremacy in ourselves, in our city, and in the American Church.

Bearing Witness to the Kingdom

While on this earth, Jesus taught extensively about the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is Jesus’ reign over sin, Satan, and death. Through His life, death, and resurrection, we believe Jesus’ authority and leadership shape our character, choices, and calling. To bear witness to God’s Kingdom means to say we’ve seen it and experienced it in our own lives.

As a community, we seek the Kingdom of God in Power, Word, and Deed:

• In Power, we acknowledge the indwelling presence and leadership of the Holy Spirit. This power brings healing, transformation, peace, and joy.
• In Word, we learn from the narratives and poetry in Biblical Scriptures that speak to God’s love for humanity. We learn the framework for understanding God’s nature and God’s purposes. We also hold space for tension and dialogue, and believe that perfect theology is found in the person and mystery of Jesus – not a list of beliefs.
• In Deed, we choose to love our neighbor wholly. We help bring restoration to people’s lives. We acknowledge that words are empty until they’re fulfilled with tangible action.

Becoming Beloved Community

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s vision of the Beloved Community is marked by the triumph of love and trust over hate and fear. We’re building a culture of hospitality that creates abundant room for all ethnicities and cultures – where each person is loved and known for who they are. Our end goal is to love and to be loved by Jesus, and to become more like Him each day.