Sep 30· 39 min

Grow + Go | Every Table an Altar with Pastor Ian Simkins

About this episode

What if the most significant mission field you have isn’t somewhere you have to go — it’s somewhere you already are?

We live in a world that is more connected than ever and lonelier than ever. And somewhere in the gap between those two things, I think the church (collectively and individually) has a role to play.

This week Pastor Ian Simkins is on the Grow and Go with Em Tyler Podcast — pastor, writer, husband, dad, and author of the brand new Every Table an Altar: Reclaiming Connection in a World of Division, Distraction, and Loneliness. Ian has spent over twenty years in pastoral ministry, and what keeps coming up — in his church, in his community, in conversations with people who look like they have it all together — is loneliness. Deep, chronic, surprising loneliness. And he’s convinced that the table is one of God’s most underrated answers to it.

We talk about why Jesus sat at far more tables than he ever flipped, what it means for your table to become an altar, and what it looks like to show up for the people already in your life with genuine, unhurried presence. We also talk about what it takes to keep growing personally when your relationship with Jesus is also your job — and Ian shares some of the simple, countercultural practices that are keeping him grounded.

We talk about:

✨ The loneliness epidemic✨ How Jesus used the table to reorder power, welcome outsiders, and bring the kingdom close✨ Why you don’t need the gift of hospitality, a beautiful home, or a photo-ready charcuterie board✨ The difference between entertaining and biblical hospitality (and why it matters)✨ One simple prayer that could change how you see every ordinary interaction✨ Why the presence of your phone — even face down — is doing more damage than you realise✨ What it looks like to be truly present with the people already in your life✨ How to keep growing with Jesus when ministry is also your profession

Is there one table in your life — literal or metaphorical — where you could show up with a little more kingdom imagination this week? Leave a comment below, or simply reply. I’d love to hear.

Grow + Go | Every Table an Altar with Pastor Ian Simkins

About this episode

Reflections