How many people you should invite to your Neighborhood Café? More than you think!

• How many people can you seat UNcomfortably? Look around the room where you’ll gather. How many people can you seat uncomfortably? That’s right: UNcomfortably – three people to a sofa, two on a loveseat, pulling in your kitchen chairs and scooting things around. Think big and plan for a crowded room. (Don’t look at the pile of magazines you’ve been meaning to sort or the coffee table you want to replace! We’ll talk about housekeeping tips later.)
• Allow for absences Take the number of people you can seat “UNcomfortably” (no more than 12) and add 25%, because on any given day one out of four of your regular attendees will have a sick child, a conflicting appointment, or simply forget to come.
• How many will come? About 20% of the neighbors you invite (one in five) will respond to your invitation. I invited 89 women to my first Café, and 18 came. This number will be higher if you extend a personal invitation to friends you already know, or lower if you stuff mailboxes of people you haven’t met. Generally, expect between 15-25% participation.

Neighborhood Cafe Invitation Calculator 

* 12 is the maximum recommended size for your Neighborhood Cafe. Even if your room will hold more, Jesus’ disciples provide us with an ideal number for a small group. A group of 12 is large enough for variety and small enough for intimacy.

The setting for the first Neighborhood Cafe

If you can seat 7 people, invite 44. If you can seat 10 people, invite 63. These numbers are estimates, but they provide a good starting point for your planning and should help you establish an expectation.

Don’t be disappointed if your neighbors don’t respond as you’d hoped, and don’t be overwhelmed if more people come than you expected. So long as you are acting in obedience to God’s direction, this is in His capable hands.

Yes, God can count!