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Their acts of kindness aren't random; they're intentional. And they've earned this church's members a reputation as humble and dedicated (if not a little nutty) servants following the example of Jesus.

If Jesus were present in the flesh, would he be cleaning strangers' toilets? The pastor of Vineyard Community Church in Cincinnati, Ohio, said yes. And, scrub brush in hand, he headed for the nearest gas station and started a movement.

It's called Servant Evangelism. Steve Sjogren tried all the traditional methods of evangelism when he planted the church in 1985, but after 18 months, only 37 people attended. Then Sjogren returned to the gospels. He found that Jesus served everywhere he went, and he and the 37 went into their community to serve, including scouring the restrooms at local bars while disbelieving employees looked on.

"(God) is looking for people who believe that a humble demonstration of love plants a seed of eternity in the hearts of others that will blossom into faith in Christ," Sjogren wrote in Conspiracy of Kindness (Vine Books).

Today, the church has an attendance of 6,000 and Sjogren says about half of the 500 Vineyard churches are engaged in this brand of practical evangelism.

Nothing is too small: giving away light bulbs, newspapers, and hot chocolate, handing stamps to harried tax filers on April 15, and washing cars—lots and lots of cars—all free. Vineyard's Web site (www.cincyvineyard.com) documents scores of ways the church has helped both the needy and those who don't yet know they have a need.

"Servant evangelism requires a philosophy shift—from altar call alone to planting seeds," says Randy Bohlender, Vineyard's director of small things. ("Our pastor says small things done with great love will change the world," Bohlender says, explaining his title.) "I grew up on a wheat farm. We never planted and harvested on the same day. We're always reaping, but we're reaping what we've planted months before."

With every intentional act of kindness, church members hand out a card showing service times, Web address, and a map to the church.

"One man came a year and a half after someone handed him a water bottle on a bike trail. Now he and his wife are involved and serving," says Mary Secrist, Sjogren's assistant. "They're excited about raising their kids in a home where it's normal to serve God by reaching out to people."

At Vineyard, two hours every Saturday are set aside for "Serve Fest." Members gather at the church, choose their assignments, then scatter across the city to clean toilets, rake leaves, give sandwiches to homeless people, and take dogs to nursing homes to cheer elderly residents. (Bohlender changes the list of 15 "small things" each week.) Then they return to the church to swap stories and pray over the seeds they've planted.

But servant evangelism is not a once-a-week activity. It's a lifestyle. Sjogren regularly urges his Sunday crowds to be intentional in serving others. It's working.

A woman contacted the church saying she was pregnant, her husband was in jail, and she had borrowed money for her daughter's lunch. "I handed every dime to the cashier, only to find out that the woman in the red Jeep ahead of me had already purchased our lunch and left a nice card for me that said God loves me! With all our gloom, our angel at Taco Bell has given us some sunshine."

Another seed planted.

For more information, visit www.servantevangelism.com.

Copyright © 2002 by the author or Christianity Today International/Today's Christian magazine (formerly Christian Reader).
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