Summer of 2010 I was in Shanghai, working as a waiter. Having never worked in F & B before, there was a lot to learn. Techniques like holding 5 plates at once or yelling “corner” when carrying hot food had never occurred to me.

It was at times stressful, but interesting things were always happening. We’d have VIPs like Hillary Clinton, Al Gore, and Robert DeNiro pop in for a meal. One time, Arnold Schwarzenegger even came and I was assigned to wait his table.

Arnold looks huge in the movies and I can confirm that he is an enormous man in real life as well. He ate a lot and was kind enough to take time and talk to me. He said, “Waiter can I get some more bread?” To which I replied, “I’ll be back.”

As it turns out, waiting tables is excellent preparation for working as a pastor. Pastors who are emotionally healthy, and not narcissists or con-artists, essentially perform the same function as a waiter.

1. Be in tune with the needs of the people being served

2. Maintain good communication and cooperation with the Chef

3. Diligently deliver the meal that’s been prepared, so the people can be fed

Now a good church, one that is going to challenge people and encourage them to grow in generosity, love, bravery, openness, kindness, and self-sacrifice is not like a McDonald’s or Applebee’s.

A McDonald’s church is where the people order off a menu what they want and prefer. The meal is unlikely to have any spiritual nutrients, but to them it is delicious and familiar. At a church like this God is not the Chef, but rather a crew of minimally trained line cooks stands in the back churning out preprocessed hamburgers using time proven methods of getting people hooked on the food.

A good church is more like a high-end restaurant, the kind that doesn’t even have a menu and the person preparing the meal is a five-star chef. Diners put themselves at the mercy of the Chef, knowing that the meal will be full of surprises and delicious new experiences. The immaculate feast being prepared will surely widen one’s palate, incorporating all the flavors life offers, both the sweet and the bitter.

If the restaurant happens to receive a generous review in a magazine they’re never going to put the waiter’s face on the front cover. That’s preposterous. Waiters just do their best to not screw up the order, and deliver the right plates to the right tables in a timely manner.

Many pastors don’t realize or willingly ignore the fact that they are not the Chef. The ego can sully the meal, ruining the flavor and the overall dining experience. Imagine the audacity of adding or taking something off of Arnold’s plate, they’d probably fire you on the spot.

Perhaps there is no greater evidence for the spiritual call to wait tables than the life of Christianity’s first ever pastor. After abandoning Jesus at his hour of greatest need, Peter is forgiven and released to fulfill his vocation as shepherd of the burgeoning church. In John chapter 21 it says

A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.

Peter was not told to build and manage a large and complex organization, he was not told to be a dynamic internationally touring public speaker with a successful podcast and a best-selling book. Peter was not even told to create 45 minutes of riveting content to preach from the pulpit week after week. He is simply called to serve and feed the people.

***

Arnold really loved that bread.

I knew the bread was good because I had been eating it all day myself. You see, unlike McDonald’s, when you work at a high-end restaurant the Chef sets aside a portion of what he’s cooked to feed the wait staff as well. It’s one of the perks of the job – to not only serve scrumptious meals, but to partake of them.

What a relief to be nothing more than a lowly waiter! It may be hard work, but you can breathe a sigh of relief knowing it’s not all riding on you. A good waiter knows they’re not the Chef. Rather, they’re humble and diligent, serving what’s been prepared, and making sure the people are being fed.

Waiting Tables