Come to the Table

By EvangelismCoach • September 7, 2007

First time here? Thanks for dropping by. Get our Monthly Newsletter and get a free article on hospitality. Keep your evangelism passion high by subscribing to my Feed.

While in Nashville, I skipped out the conference worship service to attend The Peoples Church in Franklin TN.

It is a mega church with multiple campuses and multiple services over the weekend. But they had a few programs I can share about evangelism. This program below can be used no matter what size the church.

“Come to the Table” Meal Groups.

Image from The Peoples Church website

This program is aimed at both helping people connect and a potential front door to the church family.

Families in the church agree to host a monthly potluck over a few months. They are scheduled to all occur on Sunday nights at the same time, and the hosts are given administrative support from the church.

Church attenders and visitors are encouraged to attend a meal group within 10 minutes of their house. Children, singles, couples, empty nesters — all are welcome to come. Attenders are encouraged to invite guests to the meal group.

Not a small group

There is no agenda like a small group, bible study, or program, just sharing life together over a meal and building community outside of the church building.

It’s simply providing an environment to build relationships within the church and with people looking to connect with the church.

Pastor explained that as a church, they are committed to getting into the neighborhoods around Franklin. There should be a meal group within 10 minutes of anybody who wants to come.

Promotion is supported via the website and bulletin announcements directing people to the website.

Visitors looking at the website first can find out information about the church, along with a meal group, and are given permission to visit a meal group even before they come to church.

Hosts can register their location on the website.

People can sign up at the website, through calling the church office, or calling the host directly. Multiple ways to sign up.

For your church

We know the value of fellowship over meals to help connect people.

Those exploring faith, wrestling with faith, or challenging their own faith can find a safe place to connect.

Attenders in this megachurch who may not know anyone can find a relational home to feel connected to the church.

This is a way for the church to step out into the vision of “every house a church” as one of my former congregations put it. You can open up your home to people in your area to help build those connections that might make an eternal difference.

As a family, we are praying for all our neighbors in our building (28 apartments) and quite possibly, we’ll begin having meals around our table to start making those connections.

Let me ask you this?

Could your church implement such a strategy, no matter what you called it?

What could you do on an individual level to host people regularly in your home?