If you are a church leader like me, serving in church circles where we are feeling the weight of a burgeoning population combined with the innumerable closing of struggling churches, you’ve heard a lot about church planting in the last 10 years. We know that North America, as a whole, needs more churches and especially more healthy churches. There is often a barrier that stands in our way that is a difficult one to navigate. Church planting in the traditional sense is VERY expensive. Often, there is some type of real estate involved with either the purchase of a building or at least a lease. There are salaries to be raised, equipment to be purchased, publications to develop, and promotional strategies to be thought out, all while trying to gain the attention of a distracted world. It can feel daunting. Often, we also have one method of accomplishing the mission when the subject of church planting comes to mind: plant the same kind of church that we’ve been planting. A place where people gather in rows to sing together and hear a message about the Bible. This has left many denominations and networks in a quagmire of finding the right people, the right places, and securing the funding needed to accomplish this huge mission of sharing Jesus with every community under our care. The Mission Is Unchanged. What About the Method? What if there was another way forward? What if church planting could become something more of the churches in your network could participate in? What if a small congregation could look at a neighborhood where people are disconnected from church and say, “We could do something here”? Dinner Church offers one possible way forward. The concept is remarkably simple: cook a meal, set the table, gather people together, and share the story of Jesus in the context of relationship and community. Instead of waiting for people to walk through the doors of a traditional church, Dinner Church creates an opportunity to bring the church into the communities where people already live. That simplicity makes Dinner Church an accessible and affordable approach to church planting. Many churches under your care, even if they are small, can determine to cook a meal and set a table in their neighborhood. But accessible does not mean untrained. If we want these new expressions of church to become healthy, sustainable, and reproducible, we need leaders who understand not only how to set a table, but how to lead the mission that happens around it. Leaders need a biblical and theological foundation for Dinner Church, practical tools for building teams and engaging their communities, and the ability to help what begins around one table grow and multiply. That is why the Dinner Church School of Leadership matters. The School of Leadership goes beyond introducing leaders to the idea of Dinner Church. It equips leaders to understand the theology and practice behind the table while developing the practical, reproducible tools needed to establish and multiply Dinner Churches in their own contexts. Listen to what Tom Rees, Church Planting Director from the PennDel Network of the Assemblies of God, has to say about Dinner Church planting and leadership development in their network: “Dinner Church has become one of the most effective tools we've found for planting the Gospel in communities where the people may never walk through the doors of a traditional church. It strips away unnecessary barriers and creates a place where real conversations happen over a shared meal. Just as important, the Dinner Church School of Leadership has equipped our key Dinner Church Quarterbacks, giving them the practical, reproducible tools to help launch new Dinner Churches. In a region like ours, where ministry requires creativity, perseverance, and a little grit, Dinner Church is helping us start new ministry expressions, develop new leaders, and reach people who have been overlooked for far too long. Dinner Church is helping us extend the gospel reach, one table at a time.” Equipping Leaders to Set the Table Many networks and denominations are beginning to embrace this effective, affordable approach to church planting. But imagine what could happen if we did more than simply encourage churches to try Dinner Church. What if we intentionally equipped leaders who could carry this vision into communities across an entire region or network? What energy and vision could be built if church planting became something that every church believed it could participate in? What if a small church didn’t have to become a large church before it could plant something new? What if leaders who may never have imagined themselves as church planters discovered that God had already given them what they needed to gather people around a table? Imagine the impact. Here’s my challenge to you: would you consider identifying a few key leaders who are ready to embrace church planting in a whole new way and investing in them through the Dinner Church School of Leadership? Perhaps Jesus is preparing you and those you lead to embrace the neighborhood again. Perhaps there are communities waiting for followers of Jesus who are brave enough to set the table again. Perhaps there are leaders already within your churches who simply need someone to recognize their potential and equip them for what God might do next. Perhaps gaining traction in an increasingly secular landscape can begin with something as simple—and as deep—as bringing back the power of the Jesus table in your community. Ready to equip leaders for the table? Learn more about the Dinner Church School of Leadership . Looking for a different next step? Explore Dinner Church Encounter, Launch, and Lead trainings to find the right starting point for you or your team.