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The Table is Free, But Free Is Not Easy

The Table is a free gift to your church. We call it "price less." It's one of the major things that sets us apart. We're not going to be a drain on your budget and we're not here to up-sell you or lock you into some monthly commitment. We've taken money out of the equation. It's part of who we are.

People often hear that and ask how we make money and if we'll always be free. Good questions with good answers in our FAQ section.

While the Table is free, that doesn't mean a private social network for your church is easy. The Table may be free, but free is not a strategy for your church.

The reality is that launching the Table at your church is a lot of work. It may not cost you money, but it will cost you time, effort and energy. You need to recognize those costs as you consider the Table for your church. We're not trying to scare you away, but help you to understand the gravity of what you're about to embark upon. We think the community and spiritual development potential of the Table can be huge for your church (just check out these stories!). But it's going to take a lot of work to get there. You can't just sign up, send out some emails and sit back and wait for community to happen. Nothing worthwhile is that easy.

Successfully launching the Table requires a solid strategy, leadership buy-in and a lot of work. We've put together a roadmap to show you how it's done. Our lack of a price tag may tempt you to dive right in, but you need to invest the time to plan and thoroughly think through how the Table is going to work at your church.

The Table is a gift to you, but accepting that gift means you have to make the most of it.

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The Table's Mobile Strategy

The future is mobile.

If you've looked at any mobile usage stats, they're ridiculous.

• 63 million smart-phone users in the U.S. at the end of 2010, a 60% jump from 2009 (Clickz).
• Mobile Internet use has quadrupled in the last four years (Fixed Mobile Convergence) and will overtake desktop Internet use by 2014 (Morgan Stanley).
• One out of three smart-phone users would give up chocolate to keep their mobile device (Google). That's dedication.

Mobile is coming and it's not just for businesses.

That's why we've made mobile an integral part of our strategy for the Table.

Real World Connection
Mobile technology increases real world connections, and that's what we're all about at the Table. It's not about people hiding behind their devices, but it's the technology allowing us to better connect while we're on the go.

Look at what you can do with the Table's iPhone app:

1) Pray On the Go
You can post prayer needs on the go, like on your way to the hospital, when you can't access a computer. That's powerful.

2) Remember Names
If you're at church and you forget someone's name, you can pull out your iPhone and look them up. Oh yeah, that's Maria. Here's her profile: She likes knitting. Instant conversation starter.

3) Serve One Another
You can respond to needs in real time. Steve just had a baby and they need meals. Sign up to help out and pick something up on the way home.

The examples are endless. We're convinced that mobile technology makes the Table exponentially more valuable to churches. That's why it's a priority.

The Great Commission & Technology
The majority of your congregation may not have smart-phones yet, but they will. And we want the Table to be on the cutting edge of mobile adoption, so the church can be on the cutting edge of technology. From the printing press to the radio, the church was there early on, understanding the seismic shift that was coming and using it to spread the gospel. Today churches are being left behind as technological innovation is happening everywhere but in our congregations.

It doesn't have to be that way.

That's why we released our iPhone app earlier this month. That's why we'll continue to roll out mobile options as we move forward. That's why mobile is core to our strategy.

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