
Steve Sjogren planted Vineyard Community Church in Cincinnati with 37 people. In 15 years, the church grew to 8,000 members. What made this congregation grow?
The most important reason was “Servant Evangelism”. They did all sorts of things that were connected to serving their surroundings and city. A group of 30-60 people served about 1 million people every year. They washed cars for free, handed out stamps, washed the toilets for free in the city center + a variety of other activities. It was well planned as they had name tags with the church’s name on them. According to Steve Sjogren, you should plan long-term and he says that when you start up, it can take up to 6 months before the concept itself starts to take hold.
Some principles:
1. 10-20 percent of the church budget should be used to serve the poor.
2. 50 percent of all volunteer hours are invested in people who do not care about the church, do not believe, or who need to experience love in some practical way.
3. Decide where the church is on the missional field – become either a come-and-see church or a go-and-do church.
A come-and-see church prioritizes its resources toward its building, attendance at services, and member interests.
He also believes that it is not about getting the whole church involved but about forming a Gideon’s army that is constantly doing the work. They will always be in the minority.
The point is that as a church you should touch the whole community where you are and be of real help to people. Steve Sjogren showed that it was possible to reach an entire city with planning + a small volunteer group + budget.