A Place at the Table

Recently, I found myself at a Christian event with 140 18–30-year-olds who were grappling with the subject of what the Bible has to say about women in leadership, many of whom believe, or have inherited, a more restrictive traditional theology on what women can or can’t do.

The need for Think Again seems more and more important as we hear of environments like the above and see the rise of movements like tradwives, etc. It’s alarming. It’s concerning. And in some spaces, the table for women in leadership appears to be getting smaller, with seats quietly removed or carefully restricted.

As I have reflected on these conversations, I keep returning to a simple image: the table.

As Christian women who lead, I believe there are three truths we must keep returning to.

1. I have a place at the table – It’s about identity

Remembering that Jesus invites me and that I belong is key and core to standing strong in leadership.

Before I lead anyone else, I need to remember who invited me.

Jesus did.

One of the most remarkable moments in the Gospels is found in Luke 10. Martha is busy serving while Mary sits at Jesus’ feet.

We’ve often reduced this story to a lesson about being less busy and more contemplative. While there is truth in that, something even more radical is happening.

Mary isn’t simply resting; she has taken the posture of a disciple.

I recall Amy Orr-Ewing’s teaching on this very passage, (view Amy’s Think Again resource here) where she shared that to “sit at the feet” of a rabbi was the recognised position of someone receiving theological instruction. It was where disciples learned, questioned, and prepared for ministry. It was overwhelmingly a place occupied by men.

Martha’s frustration may not simply have been about household chores. Mary was stepping into a role society did not expect a woman to occupy.

Yet Jesus doesn’t send her back.

Instead, He says,

“Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Those words matter.

Jesus publicly affirms Mary’s place as His disciple.

The same phrase, “at the feet,” is later used by Paul to describe his own theological training under Gamaliel (Acts 22:3). Luke intentionally connects these images. Mary is being portrayed as a genuine disciple, worthy of the Rabbi’s teaching.

Even more striking is what happens later. In John 11, Martha becomes the first person to hear one of Jesus’ clearest declarations of His identity:

“I am the resurrection and the life.”

Imagine hearing those words for the very first time.

Imagine living in a culture where women were rarely invited into formal theological learning, and Jesus chooses to reveal one of the greatest truths about Himself to a woman.

Before women are ever called to lead, they are invited to belong.

This is deeply reassuring because it shows us that our identity is not something we earn, nor something we need to fight for. It is something we receive because Jesus has already made room for us at His table.

And then, from that place, we secondly…

2. I pull up a chair for others – It’s about leadership

I use my influence to develop and encourage others.

Kingdom leadership is never about protecting our position.

It is about creating space for someone else to flourish.

Paul writes,

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition… Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others”
(Philippians 2:3–4).

That is the posture of Christian leadership.

Priscilla gives us a beautiful example.

In Acts 18, she and Aquila meet Apollos, an eloquent and gifted preacher. He has passion and potential, but his understanding is incomplete.

Priscilla doesn’t shame him publicly.

She doesn’t compete with him.

She and Aquila invite him into relationship and “explained to him the way of God more accurately.”

They use their knowledge and influence not to build their own platform, but to build another leader.

This is what mature leadership looks like.

It isn’t measured by how many seats we occupy.

It is measured by how many people discover theirs because we made room.

As women in leadership, our calling isn’t simply to keep our own seat at the table.

It is to pull up chairs for others, to mentor, encourage, equip, and release the next generation.

And then finally…

3. I extend the table – It’s about mission

God’s Kingdom is always making room for more people.

The table was never meant to stay the same size, and the mission of God has always been expansive.

From Genesis to Revelation, Scripture tells the story of a God who continually calls people into partnership with Him and with one another.

The opening chapters of Genesis set the tone.

God declares,

“It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

The English word helper can sound small, even subordinate. But the Hebrew word, ezer, tells a different story.

Throughout the Old Testament, ezer is most often used of God Himself—the strong helper who rescues, strengthens, and comes alongside His people.

Woman is introduced not as a silent assistant but as a powerful ally in God’s mission.

The first picture of leadership in Scripture is not hierarchy; it is partnership.

This thread continues throughout the biblical story. God calls women and men alike to proclaim His word, lead His people, disciple believers, plant churches, and bear witness to the resurrection.

The trajectory of Scripture moves toward mutual participation in God’s mission.

This work isn’t finished. While gifted people remain on the margins, the invitation still needs to be extended.

So perhaps the question is not simply, “Do I have a place at the table?”

Jesus has already answered that.

The better question is:

“Who am I inviting to sit with me?”

Because Christian leadership is never about guarding our seat.

It is about remembering who welcomed us, pulling up a chair for others, and extending the table until everyone Jesus is calling has room to come and belong.