A Training Library

The Dinner Party.

Before FOUNT was a church with a Sunday service, it was five people around a table in Brooklyn. Over thirteen years, in New York, Paris, and Berlin, we’ve built one of the most consistent small group models we know. This is the full training we use to equip every leader at FOUNT.

Why This Library Exists

Jesus met people around tables. Before altars, before programs, before pulpits, there were meals. Long conversations. Honest questions. Bread broken and passed. The Dinner Party is our attempt to stay close to that.

Every Wednesday night across New York City, FOUNT members gather in homes, on rooftops, in parks, at kitchen tables. Anyone is welcome. Conversation is real. The gospel is close. And over thirteen years we’ve watched something happen at those tables that no other ministry format has matched. Strangers become friends, friends become family, and family becomes church.

We’ve now trained over seven hundred churches and leaders to implement this model across the world. What you’ll find here is the same training we give our own leaders. Free, unlocked, and structured so you can work through it at your own pace.

Part One

Vision

Why the Dinner Party. The biblical and theological foundation.

Vision: The Temple, the Home, and the Power of the Table

Why Dinner Parties. The biblical blueprint from Acts 2, the power of communion and consistency, and how our church began with five people around a table.

Part Two

The Model

How Dinner Parties actually work. The night, the leadership, the culture.

The Night: Welcome, Party, Discussion, Prayer

The rhythm of a Dinner Party. What actually happens from the moment people arrive to the final prayer, and why every part matters.

Leadership Roles: The 2x2 Blueprint of Jesus

Why we don't lead with a solo leader and an assistant. The four roles that make a Dinner Party healthy: Host, Hospitality, Follow Up, Discussion.

Culture: Atmosphere, Food, and Relationships

The culture that makes a Dinner Party feel like home. Welcome at every threshold, food that says you belong, and relationships that outlast any gathering.

Part Three

Leadership

How to lead, raise leaders, multiply, and sustain Dinner Parties for the long haul.

The Heart of a Leader

The spiritual formation required to lead well. Personal relationship with Christ, shepherding the one, and the flow of authority from your own walk with Jesus.

Raising Leaders: The 8 Keys

The kingdom doesn't recruit ready-made leaders. It disciples them. Eight principles for seeing, raising, and releasing leaders in your Dinner Party.

Multiplication: How to Grow Groups Well

When to multiply, how to prepare the group, how to commission new leaders, and how to make multiplication a culture rather than a crisis.

Healthy Sustainability: Rhythm, Support, Training

How we've kept Dinner Parties running every week for over ten years. ALLIN Team Night, the coach structure, monthly leader training, and the long game.

Invitation: Personal Ownership and Marketing

The church's reach is limited. When every member catches a vision for personal invitation, and when the church celebrates stories from the platform, a Dinner Party on every block becomes possible.

Reference

Menu Ideas

Twenty themed meal plans we use in our groups, from Taco Night to Make Your Own Pizza to Breakfast for Dinner. Designed for group contribution and easy hosting.

Leaders Guide (PDF)

The full handout we give to every Dinner Party leader at FOUNT. Practical, printable, and free to download.

Start Here

Begin with the vision.

The most important chapter is the first one. Before any of the model or the leadership training, you need to catch the vision for why the table is where the church belongs.

Start Chapter One