Picking a Launch Sunday

Picking a Launch Sunday

If you want the Table to take off at your church, it helps to launch it with a splash. Turn your roll out into an event and make a big deal out of it. We like to call it launch Sunday (if you do multiple services over multiple days launch weekend works as well).

You can do all kinds of stuff on launch Sunday to make that big splash, including introducing the Table from the platform, working it into the sermon (Pastor John Piper recently did this in earnest without any off-putting hype), having laptops on hand to give demonstrations, including a bulletin insert and more. But all of that will be for nothing if you don't pick a good date.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when you pick a launch Sunday:

• Make sure your head pastor is in town and will be preaching that Sunday. This will show leadership buy-in and give the Table credibility. Launching while your pastor is out of town is a good way to make the Table seem like an after-thought.
• Make sure the sermon relates to the Table. You don't need to preach about the Table, but talking about community, the purpose of the church and how we need to serve one another as the body of Christ all perfectly ties into the Table (we talk a lot about vision and purpose if you need ideas). If your church frequently does a sermon series with a big theme and graphic presentation, launch Sunday would be an ideal day to start a new series.
• Pick a day that's not competing with anything else. Don't pick a holiday weekend when members are likely to be out of town. Don't pick a major event like Easter or a baptism when the Table will be competing with other important things.
• Don't wait too long. Taking the time to plan and implement your Table roll out is important, but we've also seen that long roll outs tend to get bogged down. A Sunday nine months from now might seem perfect, but that's a long time to wait while your launch team's excitement and energy begins to fade.

Pick a launch Sunday and go big.