A table might not seem like a foundation for developing as a man, a husband, a father, a leader, but it is! Leadership is ultimately about your impact and influence on other people. At Friday Morning Men’s Fellowship we focus leadership development at a table.

You begin a men’s fellowship for the purpose of growing in leadership. Our simple model of gathering weekly in a small group setting to learn, live and lead has seen thousands of men become great leaders through more than 40 years.

The heart of Friday Morning Men’s Fellowship is a small group spending time in discussion around a table. Questions help us grasp spiritual principles, and connect verses and passages in the Bible to our lives and work.

The table leader is responsible for answering the question that every man attending is asking himself when he attends: “How does this hour benefit me today?” The relationships formed, discussion topic, comments made, questions asked, support and prayer given—any and all of these may be of benefit to a man.

No table group is like any other. We often hear of the advantages of “diversity” in the workplace, but this is most likely based on traits like skin color. The true benefit of diversity, though, is in a broad range of thoughts and experience.

The very first mention of a table in the Bible comes in Exodus 25. God is giving instructions to Moses about the construction of the tabernacle, the Jewish house of worship. God’s command was to build a specific type of table.

Wrangling a table is the leader’s balance of freedom to talk and build relationships, and purposeful discussion that moves men toward personal, professional and spiritual growth. At a leadership development table, you’ll have to do some wrangling to keep the group on track.

Men come to a table each week when their voices are heard. Participation drives attendance. A table leader’s most important leadership development task during the week is not preparing for their table discussion. Rather, it’s connecting personally with men.