Like recruiting volunteers and encouraging giving, engagement is one of those tasks that never seems to end. You’re constantly looking for ways to move the people in your pews from attendees to active participants in the life of your church.

Your small groups typically cater to people in similar life circumstances, and your events for men’s and women’s ministries don’t always provide opportunities to develop deeper friendships and connections across the generations.

As you’re looking for ways to increase member engagement, establishing table groups can help connect your congregation, no matter the age. 

What is a Table Group?

A table group is a small group that meets once a month. Its main objective is intentional fellowship with minimal prep. 

Following the example of the early disciples, who broke bread and fellowshipped together, these table groups are aptly named. Participants gather together, share a meal or other refreshments, and pray for one another. 

These groups meet when and where is most convenient for the people participating in each one and can easily be scaled up as your congregation grows. 

Table groups are effective ways to engage both young adults and older church members because they don’t have to make large commitments and can participate in the group that is most convenient for them. 

The primary goal of table groups is to encourage connections between the oldest and youngest adults and every person in between, building genuine relationships and engagement with each generation and with your church. 

How to Build Table Groups

Step #1: Determine Times, Days, and Locations

Send out a survey to all of your members. Encourage everyone to fill it out even if they can’t commit to attending every month. 

Ask what days and times work best for each person. Give the ability to choose “all that apply” for these so you can better fit people into the right groups.

Include questions about where each person would like to meet, too. Offer suggestions like specific neighborhoods or communities that people can choose from or let them write in what area of town is most convenient for them. 

You should ask for age, contact information, interests, etc., but don’t consider these things when establishing the groups unless you need to. 

Step #2: Review the Surveys and Establish Groups

Once you’ve collected all of the surveys, review the answers and build your groups based on them. 

The number of groups will depend on the number of responses and the variation in the answers to your questions.

Keep the groups small, ideally 10-15 people, and make each group a single gender. You should have at least five people in each group and no more than 20. And each participant should only be assigned to one group. 

The groups won’t have every person every time, so if they’re too small, participants may be uncomfortable or cancel more often because there aren’t enough attendees. If the groups are too large, you run into the same issue you have with larger events where it’s difficult to build genuine relationships with others because there are so many people. 

You may have more than one group meeting simultaneously or multiple groups using the same location but at different times. There might also be groups that change where they meet each month while keeping the same time and day. 

There will likely be some outliers who choose days, times, or locations that don’t easily fit into a group. Contact these people directly and ask if any of the other options will work so you can plug them into a group. The answers will vary based on each person’s circumstances, but make sure you’re giving them a chance to participate even if it isn’t the most convenient. 

This is where multigenerational engagement comes in. 

You want people in each group from different generations, income statuses, and life circumstances to pour into each other and build relationships outside of their usual channels. So make each group as diverse as possible so the people in it can learn from and grow with those around them.

As you’re putting together the groups, don’t look at age, occupation, marital status, or any other factors besides gender unless you need additional help deciding which group a specific person should be in. Some people will have availability that works with multiple groups, so you can use these details if needed to try to diversify each group. 

Step #3: Choose a “Host”

Every group should have a “host.” This person doesn’t have to personally provide the space for each gathering, but they are the appointed leader of the group. 

The host is responsible for communicating any changes in time or location, following up with those who miss, organizing any refreshments, and leading the group in the discussion questions for each session (more on that in a minute!). Table groups can meet in homes (the same or rotating each month), a restaurant, a coffee shop, or anywhere that would allow for conversation and connection.

Again, the host doesn’t have to personally provide space or refreshments, but they are the person who will organize to ensure that all of the group’s needs are met for each meeting. 

These hosts should be dedicated disciples who want to see others grow in their relationships with Jesus and other believers. The goal is increasing engagement, so you will want to choose hosts who are bought into your church’s mission and vision and will encourage those in their group to connect more deeply with your congregation. 

Step #4: Put Together Scripture and Discussion Questions for Each Month

Once the groups are established, you may need to create new groups or add members to existing groups as your church grows. But the only regular service you need to provide (besides checking in with your hosts every few months) is to put together the Scripture and discussion questions for each month. 

You want people to engage organically and to build friendships at these table group gatherings, but you should provide some content that points participants back to the Gospel and helps encourage conversation. 

Choose a topic for each month (e.g., gratitude for November, loving others for February, etc.). Pick one Scripture that you want each group to read together and pray over each other. Then, come up with 3-5 questions the groups can discuss when they’re together. 

For example, if you choose habits of a healthy prayer life as the topic for July, you might choose 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 for the verse and ask participants a few questions about how they can pray without ceasing. 

Share these topics, Scriptures, and questions with your hosts, who will then lead their table groups each month. 

Why Create Table Groups

Establishing table groups is just one idea for increasing engagement in your church, but it is an effective way to encourage multigenerational connections that don’t require significant money or time from your ministry staff. 

As your church grows, you need ministry efforts in place that can easily grow with you. Since established groups are able to gather and connect without much maintenance, your staff can prioritize outreach and discipleship, and the groups will function successfully regardless of how rapidly your congregation increases.

Table groups become an easy way to encourage engagement throughout your congregation, providing a way for the different generations to bond, from older Gen Z and Millennials to Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation. 

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