Summer of Service '06

Servant Evangelism, you have heard of it. You have railed against it, but have you seen it in action. Have you seen the faces of God's people living out his love for believers and non-believers? I have; it is amazing. According to Nelson Searcy, pastor of the Journey Church of the City in New York City, Servant Evangelism is “doing intentional acts of kindness with the express purpose of sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.” The summer of 2006 has been the Summer of Service at Emmanuel Church, in Greenville.

For the first six weeks of summer, we committed to leaving the church house and going out into the community. On Sunday nights, we meet at the church and then send out around two hundred people to serve our community. During this time, we have touched close to ten thousand people with the love God. How do we do this? We stand on street corners and give out free bottles of water. We go to Wal-Mart and wash windows. We go to the parks and give out free Popsicles. We go door to door, and we give out hundreds of bags of groceries. We have even gone to gas stations and pumped people’s gas and washed their windshield. All of this is done with no strings attached! We do not overtly invite people to Emmanuel; we let the accompanying connection card do that. We do not force the Roman Road on them or the Four Spiritual Laws. Servant Evangelism is not about that.

In his books Irresistible Evangelism and Conspiracy of Kindness, Steve Sjogren explains the place that SE plays in leading people to Christ. Imagine the road to Salvation as a golf course. A driver is used to put the ball in play. Then different clubs help move the ball toward the green. Then finally, while on the green, the putter helps place the ball into the hole. Far too often we think of “witnessing” as playing the green and using the putter. However, not every person is ready to “pray the prayer.” Therefore, we can not use the putter when “witnessing” to them. SE is the driver. Intentional acts of kindness will cause not-yet-Christians to ask questions. It will cause them to wonder about this thing called Christianity.

Servant evangelism is not something that will lead to an immediate salvation. In reality, once you put the ball into play you might never see it again. With SE you usually get to answer one question, “Why are you doing this?” Your answer, “I am simply trying to show God’s love in a practical way, with no strings attached.” Your answer may lead to a conversation, but it will probably lead to a funny look. Regardless of the initial response you have done the job of planting the seed of salvation.

Servant Evangelism is not only a good thing for not-yet-Christians, but it is also a good thing for the body of Christ. This summer having moved our Sunday night service to the street corner and the parking lot, I have watched friendship form between people. I have watched hearts re-kindle with a passion for God. I have watched new leaders step out from the crowd and take the reigns of ministry. Probably the best effect of SE on our local body has been the resurgence of excitement. When people come back on Sunday night excited about doing missions, watch out! When kids tell their parents “this is more fun than playing video games,” watch out! When people are sad because you do not go out and serve and instead you stay in and “have church,” watch out! Watch out because God is moving; He is unleashing a generation of people who are passionate about serving people into the Kingdom of God.

For information on Servant Evangelism projects please navigate your web browser to www.kindness.com.