15 Conversation Prompts for Your Next Dinner Party
Having friends, neighbors, and family members around the table is one of life’s best everyday joys. Hospitality is for everyone — you don’t have to serve a five-star meal or have an immaculate house. You just have to extend a welcome, because we’re all looking for a place to belong. For that reason, sharing meals is more than just a socially profound experience. It can actually serve a role in our spiritual formation, too.
Conversations around the table at a dinner party can deepen our relationships, shift our perspectives, and even mark pivotal moments in our lives. Want to make sure your next meal around the table moves past small talk and into meaningful dialogue? Try these conversation prompts to get things flowing!
If everyone is getting to know each other:
What’s the funniest or most awkward meal you’ve ever shared with someone?
Would you rather eat your favorite food every day for the rest of your life – or never eat it again, but be able to eat any other thing you desire?
What’s one thing you wish people knew about you that has nothing to do with your work?
If you’re hosting a family gathering:
What is your favorite childhood memory around food or favorite family recipe?
What’s one thing you appreciate about our family legacy?
What is the most memorable meal you’ve ever eaten? Why?
If you want to talk about faith:
What is one thing you’re learning about God in this season of life?
What encourages you about the way faith shows up in the world around you these days? What discourages you?
What is one question you have about your faith right now?
If you want to have fun:
What scam do you think you might fall for?
Name a random topic you know way too much about — and then enlighten us with a fun fact!
What job do you admire because you could never do it yourself?
If you want to go even deeper with your community:
How old do you feel in relation to your actual age? How does that make you feel about aging?
What simple habit or piece of advice has changed your life the most?
Who was/is the most impactful person in your life? How did/does knowing them affect your life?
If you’ve found a group of people you want to sit down with again and again, I’ve developed a tool that helps people deepen their relationships with others around the table. Worship at the Table is a six-week program designed to help Christians understand, reclaim, and enjoy the profound experience of sharing meals with one another.
In each session, you’ll find:
A meal plan with recipes, including recommendations for dietary restrictions
Scripture reading and reflection
An optional ice breaker question or activity
Dinner table discussion prompts
Action points to engage with during the week
3 podcast episodes for further reflection
You can use Worship at the Table as a weekly small group curriculum, a monthly dinner club with neighbors and friends, or as a class as your church — it’s perfect for anyone who wants to learn more about gathering at the table, start new rhythms that will last much longer than this study, and go deeper with the community around them.
