A Christian group of young people learned recently that if you hand free drinks to thirsty motorists, some may follow you to the gospel. The young people of New Horizons Christian Fellowship in Louisville, Ky. regularly set up roadblocks in their neighborhood to serve up soft drinks to motorists, expecting absolutely nothing in return.
The program is like hundreds of servant evangelism efforts, in which churches seek to gain friends and influence people in an unthreatening way.
While groups of cheerleaders and scouts typically set up roadblocks to ask for money, these servant evangelists make a point of refusing contributions.
"We tell people when we walk up to their window to give them a Coke, this is just a practical way to show God's love," said Gabe Oxford, director of evangelism at New Horizons. "As simple as that may sound, I think that's just really what it is. It's to show them you can do something practical for somebody, whether it's wash their car or give them a cold drink on a hot day."
A Refreshing Approach
The no-strings-attached approach is a tool made popular -- and effective -- by Cincinnati Vineyard Community Church founder Steve Sjogren. His book, "Conspiracy of Kindness: A Refreshing New Approach to Sharing the Love of Jesus," revolutionized the way many people look at evangelism.
"The book was kind of a little like pouring water on a sponge for some people because they had always been shown what an evangelist was and it was something they could not physically or emotionally do," said Randy Bohlender, director of evangelism at Vineyard Community Church.
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Getting Started People like it when they get something free, with no strings attached. Below are several items and services that can be offered by churches, some with little or no cost. For more ideas and information, visit servantevangelism.com.
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Servant evangelism appealed to Christians who knew the Great Commission required them to share the gospel with all people, but could not carry that out in the way the church traditionally defined evangelism.
"They were living with a high level of frustration and duplicity in their life because they knew this was what they were supposed to do but couldn't," Bohlender said. "Suddenly here was a way they could extend the kingdom to people."
While the approach first took off in the 500-church Association of Vineyard Churches, Bohlender said it has crossed all denominational lines.
"Last year, we gave away over 100,000 cans of Coke in one day across our city with 300 different churches. So, it's spread a lot wider than the Vineyard," he said.
Indeed, the ministry's Web site lists a "Circle of Friends" in 39 states and 13 countries.
"We do weekend intensives three or four times a year where we teach servant evangelism to leaders from across the nation who come in. I would say less than 10 percent of them are Vineyard people."
A Kingdom Investment
The Rev. Jeff Lamont, New Horizons' senior pastor, called the approach "low-risk, high-grace evangelism." His church, with about 200 members, spends about $2,000 a year on related printed materials, consumables and products. On a recent Saturday, his teams gave away 500 soft drinks, which he valued at about $150.
"That's not bad to have fun and touch 500 people," he said. "We really enjoyed it. Our people got a lot out of it and the people we touched got a lot out of it too."
Lamont said the focus of servant evangelism is not to fill the pews at his church, but to promote Christianity.
"We've had a number of people that find their way to our church though servant evangelism," he said. "But, to be honest with you, that's really not the heart of why we do it. We're more concerned about the Kingdom of God growing. If they find their way to New Horizons, that's great, but if they find their way to the church down the corner from them, that's great too."
Everybody Wins
New Horizons' Oxford said the approach enables volunteers to experience the joy of sharing their faith with others because of its non-threatening nature.
"I look at it as getting to a point where we (can) fulfill the Great Commission through relational evangelism, public service and those things," he said. "Certainly, it's not threatening to offer to do something nice for somebody, just to do something nice."
He said his daughters Abigail, 9, and Lydia, 7, helped wash cars on a recent Saturday and the experience served as a valuable teaching tool.
"I think, for me as a dad, what I'm try do is instill in them that evangelism is about service. Serving others is serving (out) the commission Jesus gave us to reach out to those around us. I think that's in practical ways, not just with the message of the gospel, but (by) being a servant," Oxford said. "It's a chance to do something nice for somebody with no strings attached. I think that's a healthy thing to teach young people. A good deed is a reward in and of itself."
Love Offerings
Vicki Teeter is a member of the servant evangelism team at Ridgecrest Baptist Church in Madison, Miss. After more than a year of using it, the congregation there has embraced the approach.
"We had about 250 people go out (to) pass out light bulbs and trash bags to neighborhoods," recently, she said.
Both church members and neighbors have been enthusiastic about the program.
"It's really awesome, the people's response. Instead of knocking on the door and beating them over the head with the Bible, you just say, ‘I want to give you a free gift to show God's love.' That's a way they will accept," she said. "They can see there are no strings attached and that we just want to love them. We have a lot of good response from it. It's a way to show them God's love without intimidating them."
Teeter said they leave cards with the church's name, address and Web site address with people, inviting them to contact someone from the church with any prayer requests or other needs.
"If they want more information, they can contact us, on their own, without us pressuring them," she said.
Lamont said the low-pressure technique appealed to his congregation as well.
"We're not in-your-face with evangelism," Lamont said. "We're in your face with a loving, kind gesture. We hope that will open the heart to really considering how much God loves them and that he sent his Son to pay the price for their sins."
