Missions Banquet Ideas

Promoting global missions through a banquet can feel like a daunting task. There are so many possibilities to consider in the decorations and themes, that one could easily get lost in the details and forget the big picture. Fortunately, the modern missionary world is diverse enough to support a wide variety of ideas,

Unreached People Groups

There are still hundreds of language and cultural groups that have never heard about Christianity. Theme your banquet around unreached people groups. Decorate the walls and tables with maps of where these people groups live, and purchase ethnic crafts from those countries to use as centerpieces.

Bring in missionary speakers from this area to give an insider's perspective on what it is like to live and work in these areas. Scour Youtube, the BBC and "National Geographic" for footage and pictures of these people. Give each guest the name of an unreached group to represent throughout the course of the meal. Plan activities that cause people to delve deeply into what it would be like to live without knowledge of the gospel. Be sure to include people groups that have recently been reached and celebrate the fact that they have been added to the kingdom.

Two/Three Communion

The two/three communion is an emotionally moving activity in which all the members of the banquet gather into groups of three. The elements of Communion are passed out to each group in the form of a common piece of bread and cup. Two members of the group are permitted to partake in the communion, but the third is only allowed to watch, thereby representing the third of the world's population which has not heard about Jesus. Later this third is permitted to partake of Communion together with the larger group during a prayer time. This activity should be done at the end of the banquet.

International Meal

Have each table represent a region of the world or a specific people group. These tables are served a meal that is typical in that region. The food is explained by a local missionary, or on a printout that each table reads before eating.

To make this an even more authentic experience, have the tables represent areas stricken with poverty and serve them a meal of broth and a crust of bread (or whatever is actually eaten on a daily basis in their appointed region) to drive the point home. Then, later in the banquet, have special desserts provided to contrast what life is like in heaven, or once a group has accepted Christ.