Effective tool for small group management and private social-networking within the church.
Small group sites may seem daunting to set up, with passwords, permissions, etc., but the Table Project (http://www.tableproject.org) was developed about a year ago, to help provide just that. Well-designed, easily navigable, and absolutely free - the non-profit app was set up to provide churches a way to have their own controlled “social network”.
The process is simple. You visit their website, click “sign-up”, input the information from your church, and that’s it. The link to reach “your” small group site would be set up at the time of signup, so don’t make it too long (ex. site: yourchurch.tableproject.org).
Note: I’d recommend viewing the overview video on the homepage, before you actually sign-up. It is a beautifully produced, written, and executed presentation of what they are actually about. The purpose, heart, and goal of the Table Project is apparent.
Once you’re registered and within your site itself, you can either start creating the groups (Men’s Sunday school, Children’s Music, etc.) right away, send mass email invites to join, or just look around. The permissions allow for segmenting users into “roles”, including “staff”, “allow to join teen groups”, or whatever custom roles you set up. It has a very safe, structured, and easy-to-follow way to manage the users.
You site allows a variety of communication tools, including pulling in Facebook/ Twitter/podcast feeds, setting up Prayer and Server listings, mass and private messaging between each small group member, and more.
It’s a perfect way to foster strong communication between your church members, at no cost.