5 Keys to an Effective Newcomers Luncheon

Posted By: Andrew Mason

 

What are your are some of the strategies you employ to connect new people at your church to Small Groups? We have several at our church and one in particular that I’d like to highlight today: Newcomers Luncheon. It’s a great event to connect with new people who have recently started attending the church as well as an added bridge that can be built to the church’s small groups.

Yesterday, at my church, was the day for our Newcomers Luncheons. We did two of them: One at 11:30am (this immediately follows our 10am service) and one at 12:45pm (this immediately follows our 11:30am service). We had over 40 people attend the two luncheons. There was a great energy and enthusiasm in the atmosphere during the luncheons. The event also generated a lot of discussion and interest in small groups. Let me share 5 Keys to an Effective Newcomers Luncheon…

1. Timing

We have the Newcomers Luncheons immediately following our Sunday services. We do this because we get the best possible attendance. Reality is, the majority of the people we are targeting already attend our church on Sunday, meaning, they’re already there! We would have more facility options if we did the event at a different time or on a different day, but it wouldn’t be the most user-friendly time for the newcomers. By having it right after service, we are attempting to remove any schedule or traveling hurdles that may arise if we had it on a different day.

An added benefit is that we often have people who attend the event who never sign up. They hear about it at Sunday Service the morning of and are able to make a spontaneous decision to respond and attend. Yesterday, we had a person who attended our church for the 1st time that morning, heard about the Newcomers Luncheon that morning and attended the event!

2. Free Food!

Who doesn’t want free food? We have a great couple in our church, Ed and Josie, who are gifted in food preparation. As volunteers, they prepare and serve the food for the events with hearts of joy and love. The church reimburses Ed and Josie for the cost of the food. Our attendees always appreciate the free meal.

3. Listening

After attendees have had some time to eat, we go around to each person and have them answer three questions for everyone to hear:

• What is your name?
• How did you hear about the church?
• What is one thing you like about the church?

Many times people will open up and share more personal details about their experience and what God is doing in their life. The time of sharing is a chance to hear each person’s story. It usually turns into a ‘mini-testimony time’ as people share how they were previously lost, or looking for a church family or how God has been touching their life. By the end of the sharing time, everyone feels closer to each other.

4. Small Group Leaders As Table Hosts

At each table we position a Small Group Leader as a table host. They greet each person as they come in. They facilitate discussion around the table. They are also introduced during the sharing time as small group leaders. Newcomers quickly discover that small groups are the inner fabric of our church where people are participating in real community outside of the Sunday services.

5. Strategic Assimilation

Towards the end, we have our Lead Pastors share from their own life. They also share where the church has come from and where it’s going. This is a great connection point for newcomers with our lead pastors which is critical.

I follow-up and close out the event by explaining our simple discipleship process with an emphasis on getting connected into a small group. I hand out our ‘Small Group Directory’ which has a list of all of our 20+ small groups currently meeting. I exhort them to select a small group and visit it in the near future. Yesterday, we received an email during the 2nd luncheon sent by an attendee of the 1st luncheon. They already had more questions about which small groups they were considering. Praise God!

We host Newcomers Luncheons at our church every 2-3 months throughout the year. When they’re well attended, it’s always a sign to me that God has some great things in store for us in the near future. If you have more questions, feel free to ask on ‘The Forum’ by clicking on the link below. God bless!

Assimilation, Small Group Assimilation

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