the myth of servant evangelism
I have been troubled recently by the amount of church planters/churches involved in servant evangelism.
OK that is a pretty big statement to make, but i have a point. You see a guy i know recently did such a “program” that involved giving away a large amount of gasoline coupons to people for free. The reason he states is so that people see that his church is a giving church, but i wonder what kind of church that makes them be?
What I have appreciated about the servant evangelism movement (or whatever you want to call it) is the way in which many of the churches giving away “stuff” is how they are doing it and not expecting anything in return…seriously. But I wonder if it’s not what they are asking for in return that is the problem, but the type of people they are creating instead…people who expect the church to give to them.
You see when you give away stuff for free (water bottles, gasoline, coffee, mouse pads, etc.) to people who already have lots of stuff, they are in a sense encouraged to want more. They see themselves as the reason for your generosity and are instilled with a value that they should be given anything they want.
Sure not all people see it this way, but even if a few people see it this way have you lost your point?
What if we took the give away a step further and gave the “stuff” to people who really needed it and can’t do anything in return? How about the people who can’t afford gasoline, or the people who are unable to get to the store for bottled water when BC runs out of drinkable water again.
I’m not saying abandon the servant evangelism, but perhaps rework it so the people who receive aren’t the ones who can pay you back.
“When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
Ok, I’m not sure if your title was just a way to garner readers or if you meant it, But the thing I have to say about servant evangelism is that it opens doors. It’s a simple way to share God’s love with people Many who fit the qualifications of “that famous person” you quoted. Are there people who miss the point? Probably. But if stopped doing everything that people miss the point on we’d never leave our house and I’m not sure even that would be safe.
Just my thoughts
Hey joe, thanks for writing.
Funny “garner readers” i actually only thought my mom read my blog, but i am glad you stopped by, and I actually agree with you, which is why i put that “i appreciate some of it” and I think it has some bonuses.
Sometimes I think though it keeps us from really making effort toward real relationships with normal people, even though I never stated that in my post. Would you agree?
We shouldn’t stop it…that’s for sure. But I think it’s good to continue to re-work it; especially when many church planters I know use it as a ploy to get warm bodies in the seats (sub-conscientious or not). Maybe that’s my issue.
I can only speak from my own experience, but for me it was a critical step. I started out doing the street preaching and tract passiing out thing. – Four spiritual laws -Romans Road and all of that because that’s the way we’re supposed to do evangelism, right? Well I hated it. Then I got one of Steve Sjogren’s books. I believe the first one I read was Community of Kindness. It changed my whole paradigm. I started doing “servant evangelism.”
What I found was, that if you really are trying to meet a need whether or not the person is poor or rich, it opens the door for relationship to develop and to introduce them to Jesus. I had people who refused the “gfit” but wanted to talk anyway because we refused to accept anything in return. It blew them away.
Your point that it could lead to those who want stuff, just to want more is plausible. But may I suggest another. It appeals to those who feel there is something missing in the church and are amazed to see people who are giving instead of taking. So it may actually be working on the hearts of people that are looking for something different than a consumer driven approach.
Now, my personal direction has changed. Ninety percent of what I do now, or more is with the homeless. I spend several hours a week in downtown Dallas. Yes, I take my servant evangelism ideas to serve and I still serve. But I’m also making friends and relationships. I now know a lot of them by name, and they know me as well. I admit, I started doing what I do with the homeless for a number of reasons one of which is I wanted to lead them to Jesus. Now that hasn’t changed, but a major motivation for what I do is that I really love them. When it’s cold I think about them and try to do something to help. When it’s going to be really hot, I try to get cold ice water to them or whatever I can that will help.
There can be a downside to any approach. But what you have to bear in mind is that servant evangelism isn’t really about social justice. It’s about creating an easy way to open the door for conversation so that people will become curious about Jesus.
Your concern may be valid, but I just wanted to offer another possibility. I know you weren’t suggesting complete abandonment of servant evangelism. But I’m not so sure it’s quite the downside that you fear. I would also point out that for a lot of Christians, it will take something like servant evangelism to get them out of their pews and thinking about their community at large.
Good post and good question
interesting post kyle.
I think you hit the myth’s nail on the head in the first paragraph. You say your cp friend says, “… that people see that his church is a giving church.” Therein lies the problem. Why does he [and countless other churches] want people to see this? Simple. Marketing. Does some level of selfless Love happen through the people who participate in this program? Sure. But does the end justify the misplaced motivation.
Someone reading the comment may be thinking, “Man that Jeffrey is a freak! How could he say something like that? Clearly it’s ALL about love and meeting needs, not marketing!” Unfortunately, if that were true, then “churches” would help their congregates come to the realization of the perfect Love of Christ that lives through and in themselves, not through “their church”, and that they should be sensitive to that life within them. The awareness of the life of Christ within oneself would naturally result in “servant evangelism” (for lack of a better term) in everyday life. Giving when and what the Spirit says give, going where the Spirit says go, saying what the spirit says say–that is the way of the Kingdom of God. Do I live in that reality all the time? No, but I’m slowly starting to live in such a conscious awareness of the life of Christ within and through me.
One of my qualms with the institution of the church is that they take something real and true, program it, and hence subconsciously teach their people that such things may only occur through the program. This of course, fosters dependency on the institution itself, not on Christ living through, in, and as all of us.
sorry for the length of this comment….sheesh. U can ban my IP if you want, lol.
When we do “servant evangelism” here in Winnipeg’s inner city, we intentionally do things that we see as “community footwashing”. Usually, this means w walk the community picking up trash. We don’t identify who we are. We talk to people, but don’t overtly identify our purpose unless asked. The idea is to serve the community. Great thoughts, Kyle.
Peace,
Jamie
Yeah, I have to agree with that. I had a couple at a church once that couldn’t believe we were going to go back out and “do it again!” when the last time we spent all that money and “NO ONE SHOWED UP!” Completely missed the point. Unfortunately, it is like Bible reading or prayer. We need to do it (I believe we are called to do all three in Scripture) but so many people make them their own little idol, where they do it because it will bring people into the church, which of course completely misses the point. But that reminds of another famous guy who wrote to a church in an ancient city called Corinth, he told them that he knew there were people out there preaching the gospel for the wrong reasons, never-the-less he was excited that they were preaching the gospel. I like the idea of continueing to re-work it. I guess I would say we need to re-work the heart though not, the process. It is the heart that either corrupts that or keeps it pure for God. As a former church planter and a pastor of a “rescue” shot now I know the danger of sitting in a cold house with no heat or food for your kids wondering whether or not you’re going to get paid this weekend, and feeling like you have to “rely” on a gimmick. It’s insidious. It can also be one of the greatest faith builders you’ll ever live through
Kyle,
I think your discussion surrounding “Servant Evangelism” is superb. Giving more to those who already have so much perpetuates our consumeristic culture by saying to the recipients “You matter, because we are treating you like Macey’s or
Nordstorm’s is treating you…we are giving you free stuff”. Promo marketing is based on “giving away free stuff” to drive people to your store/location. Servant Evangelism can use similar methods for creating hype. I say Servant Evangelism “can” use methods akin to promo marketing, however this is not always the case. At times, Servant Evangelism can be more to do with truly serving the needs of people in meaningful ways. This has been shown by teams who have painted fences for seniors, walked dogs for those who are house bound, babysitting for low income families, etc. The word “Servant” is what should call people to attention and cause them to ask, is what I am doing truly an act of service or is it an easy “give-a-way promo campaign”? Promo marketing for the church isn’t inherently “bad” it just shouldn’t be called “service” or “servant evangelism”.
During the wars on Balkan the church i beloneg to did collections of clothes and blankets to be shipped to the refuge camps. Giving people the chance to give proved a lot more effective than giving THEM something. People volounteered to help as well!Suddenly the church was full of christians and nonchristians packing clothes from early in the morning til late at night. The conversations we had those weeks were some of the best evangelism I have ever been invoved in.
Anna, I really like how you address the issue of language. I actually think you nailed on the head what i was trying to get at when we compare “promotion” and “service.”
Jamie and Pastor Astor, your examples demonstrate true servant evangelism, but when we do a marketing promo and call it “servant evangelism” i think that is what turns me off.