Most people are intimidated when they hear the word “evangelism.” They may think of someone standing on a street corner preaching or perhaps envision a stadium packed with a mighty speaker presenting an eloquent message. Those are effective forms of evangelism, but they are not the only way. We have discovered a more friendly, less intimidating method of evangelism. It is called Servant Evangelism.

This concept of serving people into the kingdom of God was made popular by the Cincinnati Vineyard Church and its pastor, Steve Sjogren. The idea is to serve the community in simple, practical ways as an expression of God’s love for them. It also provides the church opportunities to be actively engaged with the community.

Here are just a few examples of the kinds of outreaches we have done:

Water Giveaway
700 Water bottles with laminated contact cards were given out on the streets of Port Jefferson Village, NY in less than one hour! Several churches and ministries teamed up to provide these cold refreshments on a hot, July afternoon.

Free Car Wash
Young and old alike joined forces to wash cars for free on a busy road on Long Island. Many came in with dirty cars and left with clean souls!

Gas Discount
In agreement with a local gas station, we bought down the price of gas by 10 cents per gallon and offered full service to all the patrons. While one person pumped gas, another shared the Gospel. Free Gospels of John were included with each fill up!

Easter Basket Outreach
Several ladies handed out Easter baskets heavy laden with cosmetics, toiletries, Christian CDs, Gospels of John and ministry contact information to ladies out and about after midnight. Many were prayed with and several came to Christ!

Halloween Outreach
On Halloween we typically set up a refreshment table with free hot chocolate, donuts, soup, and crackers while showing Veggie Tales on a screen in front of our home. The parents and children are usually delighted and surprised. What a wonderful opportunity to meet our neighbors and talk about why we are lighting up the night.

The ideas for servant evangelism are endless. What is most important is to find ways to engage your community. However, one word of advice is to keep it simple. Our children, ranging from two years old to young adults, accompany us on many of the outreaches we do. Many of the outreaches we have done in the past included elderly folks as well as children. There is always something for everyone. Not everyone prays, or shares the Gospel. Some simply pump gas.

One important factor is we never charge for anything we do. It is always free, to demonstrate that salvation is a free gift of God, one that cannot be bought or earned. This prepares each heart to receive God’s grace.

Why not try it sometime with your family, youth group, or even your whole church? You’ll be surprised at how much fun you have while being about your Father’s business!