Servolution - Intro & Chapter One

Two books unexpectedly arrived at my door this past week: Servolution by Dino Rizzo and Total Church by Tim Chester and Steve Timmis (they were sent to me from Deets in some sort of thank you circle).

So first up in my reading is Servolution, tag line: Starting a church revolution through serving.

Intro

In the introduction, Dino starts off with explaining his underlying motive to serving: That God values everyone and wants them as his own, not matter the cost. More so, not only does God wants us as his own, those that are his are let in on the mission of pointing others to God.

He calls the church to look beyond themselves, but rather to those not already in on the mission, and the best way to do that is by serving them. It sort of reminds me of JFK's whole "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country" mantra. Don't ask yourself what you're going to get out of the church this day, week, month, etc, but rather how you can serve the people around you.

I'm on board so far; growing up in a youth group that was modeled on the five Purpose Driven(TM) characteristics for a ministry, this make sense as one of those five characteristics is serving others.

Quick background: the five purposes of a church/ministry are (in Rick Warren's vernacular): Worship, Fellowship, Discipleship, Ministry, and Mission. These five aspects are taken from The Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) and The Great Commandment (Matthew 22:37-40). In this case Ministry would constitute service to others ("...love your neighbor...").

In the introduction, Rizzo references Jude 23 with the emphasize seemingly on the idea of "..to others show mercy..."

Jesus taught heavily on ministering to others (especially those in less fortunate positions that would sometimes by overlooked by other religious leaders of the day), the early church is rife with examples of believers coming together and serving one another.

Rizzo is not stating a new idea here (which is good, because the church should always be looking to back what they have done (i.e. serving widows and orphans), and what needs to shift through the times is the how it is done (i.e. providing left over wheat from the harvest in a bygone era to something more practical today's culture, like free to low-cost school supplies for single parent families).

Chapter One: The Beginning of a Servolution - Forty-Five Tons of Tea

I'm simply going to take the definition that is given in the opening section of this chapter word for word and copy it here:

What is Servolution? (surv-uh-loo-shuhn)
1. A complete and radical change if a person's life caused by simple acts of kindness for the glory of God
2. God's kingdom on earth as it is in heaven
3. A church revolution through serving

Personally, I'm not a big fan of the word servolution. Note, I'm a fan of the idea/meaning of the phase, it's the physicality of smashing the word serve and revolution together. The phrase Serve Revolution would have sufficed, though to be honest the word revolution is a pop-culture word that the Christian sub-culture has latched onto a few years after pop-culture and are riding it for all it's worth. Again, this isn't that what the author is saying is wrong, it's just that it's a bit disappointing to see an example of slight culture pirating and I needed to get it out my system.

Oh, I should mention too if the subtitle of the chapter is a bit confusing, it's a reference to the Boston Tea Party, which Rizzo likens to the start of his own revolution - that at the time, no one knew what one seemingly insignificant (OK, filling Boston harbor was too insignificant, but considering what it was only leading up to...) incident could lead up to. His started with an unexpected offering from John Osteen (father of Joel) after pouring out his ideas for ministry. John wrote him a check and told him to start a church for the poor and hurting in Baton Rouge.

As with most starting up church plant's, attendance that first Sunday could be counted on both hands, but Rizzo was not to discouraged. His focus was not on Sunday morning sermons, but rather on helping people in the community.

By performing simple acts of kindness (visiting a widow with terminal cancer) and service (helping a single mom move) the congregation began to grow. After hosting a church wide dinner, he states:

"We were learning that whenever you find something that meets a need and makes people excited about coming to church, it is probably worth doing."

The chapter closes up with a section entitled, "Servolution Strategy" in which the author offers several steps to follow as well as posing some questions. He also emphasizes that when looking for a person or people to serve, to especially consider those on the "bottom" of the list, the types that tend to be overlooked and then identify their needs.

That can be a bit tricky when you think about it. Often we minister to those who are like us because we know what we would like or need, but to brainstorm up something you don't necessarily need yourself, but someone else might, can sometimes be a challenge. I would say that the solution to this is to ask questions. Don't speculate or assume, but rather ask.

It's a good start so far, and very easy read, so hopefully I'll be posting more in the next day or two.

Living My Strengths

A week or so ago, Steve gave me a book entitled "Living Your Strengths" which is deigned to help pinpoint what one's strengths are and how they can better utilize them. It's in reaction to the mind set that rather than trying to make up for weaknesses, it's better to embrace what you're already naturally gifted at and use that to it's fullest. I'd like to say that I've read it and have a very good handle on all of it, but alas, I have not read through all of it yet, but I did however take the quiz to identify what my five most prevalent strengths are. And they are as follows:

Input
You are inquisitive. You collect things. You might collect information—words, facts, books, and quotations—or you might collect tangible objects such as butterflies, baseball cards, porcelain dolls, or sepia photographs. Whatever you collect, you collect it because it interests you. And yours is the kind of mind that finds so many things interesting. The world is exciting precisely because of its infinite variety and complexity. If you read a great deal, it is not necessarily to refine your theories but, rather, to add more information to your archives. If you like to travel, it is because each new location offers novel artifacts and facts. These can be acquired and then stored away. Why are they worth storing? At the time of storing it is often hard to say exactly when or why you might need them, but who knows when they might become useful? With all those possible uses in mind, you really don’t feel comfortable throwing anything away. So you keep acquiring and compiling and filing stuff away. It’s interesting. It keeps your mind fresh. And perhaps one day some of it will prove valuable.

Adaptability
You live in the moment. You don’t see the future as a fixed destination. Instead, you see it as a place that you create out of the choices that you make right now. And so you discover your future one choice at a time. This doesn’t mean that you don’t have plans. You probably do. But this theme of Adaptability does enable you to respond willingly to the demands of the moment even if they pull you away from your plans. Unlike some, you don’t resent sudden requests or unforeseen detours. You expect them. They are inevitable. Indeed, on some level you actually look forward to them. You are, at heart, a very flexible person who can stay productive when the demands of work are pulling you in many different directions at once.

Intellection
You like to think. You like mental activity. You like exercising the “muscles” of your brain, stretching them in multiple directions. This need for mental activity may be focused; for example, you may be trying to solve a problem or develop an idea or understand another person’s feelings. The exact focus will depend on your other strengths. On the other hand, this mental activity may very well lack focus. The theme of Intellection does not dictate what you are thinking about; it simply describes that you like to think. You are the kind of person who enjoys your time alone because it is your time for musing and reflection. You are introspective. In a sense you are your own best companion, as you pose yourself questions and try out answers on yourself to see how they sound. This introspection may lead you to a slight sense of discontent as you compare what you are actually doing with all the thoughts and ideas that your mind conceives. Or this introspection may tend toward more pragmatic matters such as the events of the day or a conversation that you plan to have later. Wherever it leads you, this mental hum is one of the constants of your life.

Connectedness
Things happen for a reason. You are sure of it. You are sure of it because in your soul you know that we are all connected. Yes, we are individuals, responsible for our own judgments and in possession of our own free will, but nonetheless we are part of something larger. Some may call it the collective unconscious. Others may label it spirit or life force. But whatever your word of choice, you gain confidence from knowing that we are not isolated from one another or from the earth and the life on it. This feeling of Connectedness implies certain responsibilities. If we are all part of a larger picture, then we must not harm others because we will be harming ourselves. We must not exploit because we will be exploiting ourselves. Your awareness of these responsibilities creates your value system. You are considerate, caring, and accepting. Certain of the unity of humankind, you are a bridge builder for people of different cultures. Sensitive to the invisible hand, you can give others comfort that there is a purpose beyond our humdrum lives. The exact articles of your faith will depend on your upbringing and your culture, but your faith is strong. It sustains you and your close friends in the face of life’s mysteries.

Developer
You see the potential in others. Very often, in fact, potential is all you see. In your view no individual is fully formed. On the contrary, each individual is a work in progress, alive with possibilities. And you are drawn toward people for this very reason. When you interact with others, your goal is to help them experience success. You look for ways to challenge them. You devise interesting experiences that can stretch them and help them grow. And all the while you are on the lookout for the signs of growth—a new behavior learned or modified, a slight improvement in a skill, a glimpse of excellence or of “flow” where previously there were only halting steps. For you these small increments—invisible to some—are clear signs of potential being realized. These signs of growth in others are your fuel. They bring you strength and satisfaction. Over time many will seek you out for help and encouragement because on some level they know that your helpfulness is both genuine and fulfilling to you.

Hopefully I'll get some time soon to read more of the book and garner a better idea of how exactly I can use these talents to their fullest.