The Gospel of the Kingdom isn’t just for the church.
It’s for entire cities.
At its core, a city is an ecosystem of relationships. Jesus has much to teach us in the 21st century about healing the interactive ecosystem existing between civic, cultural, church, and marketplace leaders. It starts with our own personal transformation, flows into the transformation of our community of family and friends, then spreads into our workplace and neighborhoods.
Jon and Ken have catalyzed transformational movements in numerous global cities for decades. They have a passion to ignite “hungry hearts” with the joy of becoming transformational people.
The City Table is not an organization to “join”; we are a tribe of collaborative leaders whose hearts have been knit together to seek for God’s kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven.
Problems We Address
1. Catalyzing Change
The Problem
Nonprofits, churches, and government agencies in the community frequently pursue similar goals but lack coordination, resulting in fragmented efforts. Community leaders and stakeholders frequently struggle to grasp the underlying issues that prevent their communities from flourishing. Without addressing personal transformation first, broader attempts to drive change can fail to gain the traction needed for true, lasting impact.
The Solution
CityTable empowers leaders to break down personal barriers and collaborate for community-wide impact. By forming “Tables” across civic, business, and faith sectors, we facilitate an environment where unified solutions to city challenges can be developed. Through strategic asset mapping, we identify key resources and initiatives, connecting and coordinating them to maximize impact. These Tables, help leaders channel their personal growth into collective action, ensuring their efforts drive effective, lasting change.
2. Resourcing Leaders
The Problem
Many leaders struggle to create lasting impact because they lack clarity on God’s love for them as well as how to leverage their strengths and align with God’s vision for their community. Without this understanding and the right resources, their efforts are often fragmented and short-term, failing to drive sustainable change.
The Solution
At City Table, we focus on a three-tiered model of transformation—starting with the individual, extending to the church, and finally impacting the community. Through personal development programs like Greenhouse and Table Labs, we equip leaders in identifying and aligning their unique strengths with the needs of their community. This personal clarity empowers them to form “Tables” around social issues that create deep, lasting change, rooted in a clear understanding of their role in God’s plan for their city.
3. Positive Cultural Impact
The Problem
Many individuals feel disconnected from their community and unsure of how their personal passions and strengths can contribute to meaningful, lasting change with others. Without a clear understanding of where God is already at work in their city, people often struggle to align their gifts with the needs around them, leaving them siloed, disengaged and underutilized from God’s family in the city.
The Solution
At City Table, we help individuals, churches and non-profits identify where God is at work in their community and how their unique strengths, passions, and purpose can align with His plan for their city. Through strategic engagement, we guide people to channel their talents and passions into meaningful work, whether by joining existing initiatives or pioneering new ones. This collaborative approach transforms them from passive participants into active agents of change. This clarity strengthens community bonds and drives lasting, city-wide transformation.
4. Creating Convergent Spaces
The Problem
Community challenges are often addressed with fragmented and disjointed efforts due to a lack of coordinated collaboration among churches, nonprofits, civic leaders, and individuals. Without a unified approach that aligns diverse stakeholders, these isolated initiatives struggle to gain the traction needed for lasting, systemic change. Creating centralized spaces where these groups can gather fosters the collaboration and shared understanding necessary to drive more effective and sustainable solutions.
The Solution
At the heart of City Table’s mission is the creation of convergent spaces—“Tables” and “Resource Centers”—where individuals, churches, nonprofits, and community leaders come together to better understand community issues and collaborate on meaningful solutions. These spaces serve as hubs for connection, learning, dialogue, and action, fostering partnerships and a shared commitment to tackling the city’s most pressing challenges. By uniting diverse voices and aligning efforts, City Table ensures that community problems are addressed with collective wisdom and resources, driving systemic change and advancing a unified vision for the city’s restoration.
Our Values
We move with a kingdom mindset, empowered by the Spirit of God
We seek first the kingdom of God, focusing on advancing His will on Earth through love, justice, and unity. Guided by the Holy Spirit, we trust that through prayer and discernment, He will direct our vision of Jesus, shaping our mission, decisions, and actions to align with God’s purpose.
We champion relational community
We value deep, authentic relationships over transactional interactions, believing that genuine connections build the foundation for lasting transformation in individuals and communities.
We embody diversity
We believe that by embracing the unique qualities of every individual, we create a “seat at the Table” for all by hosting a powerful unity that reflects the diversity and beauty of God’s design for His church in the city.
We believe in the power of transformation
We are dedicated to being led by the Spirit to restore communities, following God’s call to pursue social righteousness, compassion, and a world that experiences His Kingdom.
We steward resources to heal what is broken
We believe in the power of collective impact. By uniting churches, nonprofits, and communities, we address brokenness with a shared vision of restoration. Through collaboration, we combine strengths and resources to bring healing, ensuring our efforts are unified, holistic, and lasting.
Social Righteousness
Stable Homes, Strong Futures
Collaboration to address housing instability and economic challenges.
Strong Families, Thriving Youth
Fostering lasting, generational transformation.
Hope for Vulnerable Lives
Uniting efforts to restore hope, dignity, and opportunity.
Recovery & New Beginnings
Ensuring resources for lasting transformation and change.
The CityTable Story
CityTable began with a heart connection between two Jesus followers: Jon and Ken.
Looking through the sacred stories of the people of God, we see quite a few precedents that inspire our vision to see city transformation catalyzed by the multiplication of leaders devoted to heartfelt connections with each other:
- David and Jonathan.
- Paul and Barnabus.
- Jesus and “the disciple whom Jesus loved.”
- The disciples Jesus sent “two by two.”
Heartfelt connections are at the core of God’s kingdom coming on the earth.
“They will know you’re my disciples by your love for each other.” – Jesus
Here is a little bit about Jon and Ken’s background and the developing story of CityTable.
Jon Petersen
CityTable Founder
Jon Petersen learned to traverse unconventional spiritual paths from his earliest years.
Born in Japan, raised in multicultural environments, overcoming sexual trauma, and introduced to Christ at an early age, Jon became increasingly aware of a divine call to love the church in all its expressions, while feeling an “ache” to see Jesus experienced beyond the boundaries of institutional paradigms. Growing up in a diversity of global settings, he often felt an urge to go to “the fringes” where the Kingdom of God had not yet been experienced.
Sensing the call of God to move to Colorado in 2006, Jon entered a 12 year season of “obscurity”. Living in a sleepy mountain town, while traveling internationally to help launch 24-7 Prayer’s organizational framework, Jon went “offline” to avoid attention in “sensitive” nations where he traveled.
In 2018, the Father gave a clear call to “engage” the church and the city again. A lifetime journey with Jesus, feet to the ground in over one-hundred countries, and thousands of conversations and relationships forged over meals with leaders in cities throughout the planet culminated with the convergence of Jon’s passions, gifts, and calling to birth CityTable.
Jon began to sense it was time to emerge from “underground places” and catalyze new expressions of the “ekklesia” in cities across the globe – those called by God to exercise leadership in ways that engage entire cities with the gospel of the Kingdom. To do this, it will take more than “church as usual.”
Now is the time to issue a new proclamation of the gospel of the kingdom to empower every follower of Christ – civic, cultural, church, and marketplace leaders – to take a seat at The Table as we seek for God’s kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven.
Every significant move of God in which Jon has been privileged to participate throughout his life was catalyzed by deeply-knit relationships – all “co-conspirators” to shape the church into the image of His Son and seek for God’s kingdom to manifest in the world around us.
Jon and his wife Mindy have three children, eight granddaughters, and one grandson – all teenagers – joyful pandemonium!
Ken Janke
CityTable Animator
Ken entered Jon’s world as the seeds of what would become CityTable were germinating to the point of emerging from underground. They sensed God knitting their hearts together as they imagined a new reality for city-wide transformation movements in global cities in the 21st Century.
Ken is a “dream weaver” who is consistently engaged in empowering others to actualize their core motivation and calling. Ken works to position people, organizations and businesses for their effective futures, believing transformation is possible through collective ideas and collaborative actions. He partners globally with mission-minded organizations and networks to create change in our world. His passion is stewarding the dreams of emerging leaders, pioneers and creatives. He believes life is enhanced through quality relationships, and he obsesses over seeing transformation realized in the earth.
Ken launched one of the earliest co-working initiatives in the US, called The Grove, in both New Haven, CT and Dallas, TX. The Grove served to encourage and support people in the development of new ideas that were aimed at solving the social, environmental, and economic problems cities face. The Grove became more than just a space – it generated dynamic communities of social innovators, artists, entrepreneurs, and thinkers. Ken sees that city transformation is a redemptive thread God has woven into his story.
Ken has worked in both the corporate for-profit and the non-profit sector for over 35 years. He uses his experience to bridge these two sectors, often working with social innovators and entrepreneurs to help ideas take flight. He has an intuitive ability to reimagine urban landscapes while living and working with neighbors to see their neighborhoods transformed at a grassroots level. He currently facilitates training with indigenous leaders from across the globe in the fields of church planting, pastoring and marketplace development. He and his wife, Lori, have been married for 33 years and have four children.
As they launched CityTable together, Jon and Ken tapped into long-fermented dreams to see a new understanding of mission, Kingdom, and Church released in global cities. With the help of many God-given friends and heavenly confirmations, CityTable is back online.