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Community of Kindness
If you want to plant a church, you need to dream big. If you want your seedling church to survive - and ultimately bloom and blossom - you really need this book! Written by church planters who have "been there, done that," Community of Kindness" is a practical, real-world guide to successful church planting-credible, informative, inspirational, supportive and, morst of all 100 percent problem-solving oriented. All of the book's lessons are short, pithy and to the point. So you can use them to preplan your goals-or refer to them every time the unexpected pops up (which is more often than not). Wherever your church-planting journey takes you, keep this book by your side-and have copies for each member of your team!
190 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
69 people are currently reading
376 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
February 1, 2016
I think most of us want to share Jesus and do His works on the earth, but we maybe don’t know where to start. This book is simple, straightforward, and SO helpful in giving us ideas for how to reach out to people with the love of the Lord. If evangelism isn’t your primary gift, here’s a way to go ahead and share the Gospel anyway. It’s why we’re here on earth! Our kindness CAN change the world! Steve shows us a new approach for sharing the love of Jesus – just loving deeds that we can all do. I highly recommend this book.
February 23, 2022
I found this to be a quick read that covered a number of topics related to church planting. It was enjoyable and I gleaned a lot of good information from it.
July 31, 2021
Positives: 1) Servant evangelism is stressed as a priority. 2) Many helpful tips about setting boundaries and expectations, which are necessary to avoid burnout and toxic relationships with emotionally needy people. 3) “Exit interviews" when people leave are important (p.43). A church cannot improve or fix problems if no one says anything and just disappears. 4) Hiring an impartial bookkeeper who can biblically steward the finances is very wise (pp.50-51). 5) Work/ life balance is emphasized, such as having non-church hobbies and spending time with your family (p.98-99). 6) Prayer is important (p.99). 7) Delegation and practicing gratitude to people for serving (pp.148-150, 176). 8) As someone who has done kids ministry a lot, I found the advice on pp.154-157 spot on. 9) Be authentic instead of cute (pp.157-158). 10) “Don’t overpromote your church’s name -- promote the name of Christ and the cause of the Kingdom” (p.159).
Negatives: 1) Theology's importance is downplayed in favor of the nebulous “power of God’s love” (p.19) to lead people to Christ. Biblically, it’s actually love + evangelism + theology that reaches people; otherwise, your pews will fill with people who feel warm fuzzies about God but don’t understand who He is. (See Romans 10:14-15 for Paul's outline on reaching the lost.)
2) A disturbing fixation that your church “isn’t a long-term viable entity” (Glossary) until you reach 200 people. They claim this number is necessary for the church to be efficient and avoid burnout (p.168-171). The only church my husband and I have left due to burnout was the largest one we attended, having over 200 people. We found the opposite problem can occur - your church thinks it can do it all with so many people. I'm not opposed to large churches, but I am opposed to stigmatizing smaller ones as “just hanging in there” (p.169). Better advice would be "Don't bite off more than you can chew, no matter your size.”
3) Lack of Scripture used to support claims. If we are to plant God's churches, shouldn't we consult the instruction manual He gave us? Besides their personal experiences, most of the advice in the book appears to have been gleaned from studying the business world; the language of the book is very corporate: "venture," "sales tool," "stay in business,” etc.
4) "Tell [your church] that the church is about the people who aren't there yet, not about them" (p.62). A pastor who tells his congregation this doesn't know his calling to "feed My sheep" (John 21:15-17). When Paul writes to the churches about how to do church, the instructions are given to believers (ex. 1 Corinthians 14). Unbelievers can come (1 Corinthians 14:23), but it is the Christian who is commanded to do church, not the unbeliever (Hebrews 10:24-25). Churches are first and foremost for believers to be fed by the shepherd (pastor) for sanctification, to worship God, and fellowship and encourage one another as we head back out into the world to evangelize and love on unbelievers (Acts 2:42-47).
5) Lack of discussion on spiritual warfare. Satan is looking to devour believers (1 Peter 5:8-9). I’ve seen ministries fall apart because this wasn’t taken seriously.
6) Digging into the Word for sermon prep is discouraged and seen as a waste of time (pp.120-122): “Plagarize like crazy!” (p.140). Using another’s outline is one thing; lifting material is quite another. A pastor who digs into the Word inspires his congregation to do the same; it’s contagious.
7) The authors advise NEVER cancelling an event, even if there’s bad weather (p.146). This is irresponsible advice (why potentially have a car accident on unplowed roads getting to the building?) and is a philosophy that caused our former church to “bite off more than they could chew.” Prayerfully consider cancelling events when there’s a legitimate need to.
In conclusion, the book has many valuable nuggets of wisdom, but as the authors say: “Don’t get caught up in definitions of success imposed by others. The culture of the modern church sometimes causes us to get caught up in models that are not necessarily given to us from God” (pp.185-186). So don’t get caught up in making sure your church is at 200 people to be viable, or limiting your sermon to 30 minutes. Eat the meat and spit out the bones on this book. Pray for God’s direction for your unique church planting situation and search the Scriptures for the how-to’s.
Negatives: 1) Theology's importance is downplayed in favor of the nebulous “power of God’s love” (p.19) to lead people to Christ. Biblically, it’s actually love + evangelism + theology that reaches people; otherwise, your pews will fill with people who feel warm fuzzies about God but don’t understand who He is. (See Romans 10:14-15 for Paul's outline on reaching the lost.)
2) A disturbing fixation that your church “isn’t a long-term viable entity” (Glossary) until you reach 200 people. They claim this number is necessary for the church to be efficient and avoid burnout (p.168-171). The only church my husband and I have left due to burnout was the largest one we attended, having over 200 people. We found the opposite problem can occur - your church thinks it can do it all with so many people. I'm not opposed to large churches, but I am opposed to stigmatizing smaller ones as “just hanging in there” (p.169). Better advice would be "Don't bite off more than you can chew, no matter your size.”
3) Lack of Scripture used to support claims. If we are to plant God's churches, shouldn't we consult the instruction manual He gave us? Besides their personal experiences, most of the advice in the book appears to have been gleaned from studying the business world; the language of the book is very corporate: "venture," "sales tool," "stay in business,” etc.
4) "Tell [your church] that the church is about the people who aren't there yet, not about them" (p.62). A pastor who tells his congregation this doesn't know his calling to "feed My sheep" (John 21:15-17). When Paul writes to the churches about how to do church, the instructions are given to believers (ex. 1 Corinthians 14). Unbelievers can come (1 Corinthians 14:23), but it is the Christian who is commanded to do church, not the unbeliever (Hebrews 10:24-25). Churches are first and foremost for believers to be fed by the shepherd (pastor) for sanctification, to worship God, and fellowship and encourage one another as we head back out into the world to evangelize and love on unbelievers (Acts 2:42-47).
5) Lack of discussion on spiritual warfare. Satan is looking to devour believers (1 Peter 5:8-9). I’ve seen ministries fall apart because this wasn’t taken seriously.
6) Digging into the Word for sermon prep is discouraged and seen as a waste of time (pp.120-122): “Plagarize like crazy!” (p.140). Using another’s outline is one thing; lifting material is quite another. A pastor who digs into the Word inspires his congregation to do the same; it’s contagious.
7) The authors advise NEVER cancelling an event, even if there’s bad weather (p.146). This is irresponsible advice (why potentially have a car accident on unplowed roads getting to the building?) and is a philosophy that caused our former church to “bite off more than they could chew.” Prayerfully consider cancelling events when there’s a legitimate need to.
In conclusion, the book has many valuable nuggets of wisdom, but as the authors say: “Don’t get caught up in definitions of success imposed by others. The culture of the modern church sometimes causes us to get caught up in models that are not necessarily given to us from God” (pp.185-186). So don’t get caught up in making sure your church is at 200 people to be viable, or limiting your sermon to 30 minutes. Eat the meat and spit out the bones on this book. Pray for God’s direction for your unique church planting situation and search the Scriptures for the how-to’s.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 25, 2016
I did not expect to like this book, but while reading it, I felt my eyes opening and my imagination stirring. On the surface, the thrust of this book is so simple most of us would dismiss it, but upon closer reading, I realized there is true depth here. Sjogren goes out of his way to protect a biblical theology of conversion (thought not explicitly), and he also works to avoid any appearance of manipulative methods.
His thesis: "doing the message precedes telling the message." This is "servant evangelism." Oh, the author never lets us forget that evangelism isn't complete without sharing the Gospel and inviting people to respond, but he emphasizes that sharing the Gospel with an invitation is also incomplete without a visible demonstration both of God's grace in our own lives, as well as God's grace to others.
The byproduct is that evangelism is taken out of the hands of the specialists, those few people God created with the temperament and gifts for traditional door-to-door "soul winning," and is placed in the hands of the rest of the church as something they feel more comfortable doing. More than that, given their gifting, something they are more suited to do!
It also removes guilt because even our word "evangelism" can be replaced by "planting seeds." The author reminds us: "Sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with our neighbors is a process rather than a project." There is no hint of using God's sovereignty as an excuse for doing nothing - indeed, the reader will find encouragement to be involved far more than any traditional approach - rather, there is profound recognition of what role God has actually called us to fill.
As a book, it's well-written and easily-read. Theology and methodology are woven together with plenty of practical examples and instructions. In fact, if there's a weakness here it's that the author seems to love washing people's windshields more than any other service (thought cleaning toilets gets more than a few mentions).
Non-Charismatics may feel squeamish with a few examples, but that is no reason to ignore a profoundly helpful and greatly encouraging book. Recommend!
His thesis: "doing the message precedes telling the message." This is "servant evangelism." Oh, the author never lets us forget that evangelism isn't complete without sharing the Gospel and inviting people to respond, but he emphasizes that sharing the Gospel with an invitation is also incomplete without a visible demonstration both of God's grace in our own lives, as well as God's grace to others.
The byproduct is that evangelism is taken out of the hands of the specialists, those few people God created with the temperament and gifts for traditional door-to-door "soul winning," and is placed in the hands of the rest of the church as something they feel more comfortable doing. More than that, given their gifting, something they are more suited to do!
It also removes guilt because even our word "evangelism" can be replaced by "planting seeds." The author reminds us: "Sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with our neighbors is a process rather than a project." There is no hint of using God's sovereignty as an excuse for doing nothing - indeed, the reader will find encouragement to be involved far more than any traditional approach - rather, there is profound recognition of what role God has actually called us to fill.
As a book, it's well-written and easily-read. Theology and methodology are woven together with plenty of practical examples and instructions. In fact, if there's a weakness here it's that the author seems to love washing people's windshields more than any other service (thought cleaning toilets gets more than a few mentions).
Non-Charismatics may feel squeamish with a few examples, but that is no reason to ignore a profoundly helpful and greatly encouraging book. Recommend!
November 19, 2018
Excellent ideas for how to make Jesus visible without necessarily saying words. Interesting and refreshing reminder that we can and should serve others without any expectations of return as a way to help others learn about Jesus.
November 12, 2012
Read while at Crown.
December 30, 2021
I read this potentially life and church-changing book many years ago, but wanted to revisit it as our church is going to be launching numerous service projects in 2022. I raved about this book to our Elders and staff, and even purchased several copies for them.
The idea is simple: spread the Good News by serving and helping others. The author outlines how these simple projects and acts of service can touch people's lives and open their minds to Christianity. I am a HUGE believer in his approach.
This book is an essential read for any church that is interested in reaching others in the name of Christ.
The idea is simple: spread the Good News by serving and helping others. The author outlines how these simple projects and acts of service can touch people's lives and open their minds to Christianity. I am a HUGE believer in his approach.
This book is an essential read for any church that is interested in reaching others in the name of Christ.
April 8, 2020
Great main idea, that of doing random acts of kindness with no goal of conversion or church attendance, simply saying, "We wanted to show you God's love in a practical way." Sjogren's work coined the term "servant evangelism". My only critique is there is an excess of superfluous material in the book (overwritten) and it could have been more concise.
January 15, 2022
As Christians, we become discouraged just thinking spreading the gospel, but I learnt how to demonstrate how do demonstrate God's love in daily practical ways...
Evangelism is a lifestyle and very easy if only you show kindness
Evangelism is a lifestyle and very easy if only you show kindness
December 15, 2024
Good reading for ministry aspirants and church planters. My only critique is one of the authors always points out their experiences with a parentheticla mark but the other does not. It comes across as unclear what the other author was doing in the work, but is probably just a stylistic mark.
December 20, 2024
I read this book years ago when my church planter mentors walked me through a summer of service in an environment I wasn’t used to. Now going back to it, I can see how much it shaped how I live.
The pop culture references are a little outdated, but I still see such practical wisdom in this book.
The pop culture references are a little outdated, but I still see such practical wisdom in this book.
December 12, 2018
Nothing special...but it did serve to motivate.
January 8, 2026
I love this book. I am quite sure that I can find some ideas that I can do even as a handicapped individual. I would have loved being involved when I was younger.
November 27, 2017
Who else besides me has ever shuddered when the pastor starts preaching about evangelism and going out soul-winning? I doubt I am alone. Actually the author of the book makes it abundantly clear that a majority of Christians feel quite uncomfortable about going out on a regular basis to try to lead souls to Christ. If you are a gifted evangelist, I admire and applaud you but even after sitting through numerous sermons on evangelism and participating in several different evangelism classes, I still feel very much out of my element when faced with the challenge. However, this book describes a very different approach that makes me think there is still hope for me and many others. I have heard it said that people do not care how much you know until they know how much you care. The crux of the matter boils down to whether or not we really care about the souls all around us who do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The author shares from his own experience how small acts of kindness can show the world around our churches how much God really loves them and how much we care. He says that most people need multiple positive encounters with the Gospel before they are ready to accept it. To put it another way, very few people are ready to make a decision the first time they are presented the Gospel message. We should know how to present it if the opportunity arises but in the meantime, we have a lot of work to do to encourage people to the point they want to hear. The author shares a number of practical ways to get involved and includes stories from his own experience that fleshes out the message of the book. The book is practical but it also gives hope.
June 20, 2011
Sjogren is right about the American church's inward focus and the failures of typical evangelism methods, including the lack of dependence on God to do the work of bringing people to Himself and the tendency of Christians to be all talk and no action in evangelism. Yet, this book seems to substitute one evangelism "program" for the others. God works in a variety of ways, and we shouldn't be so committed to one type of evangelism that we fail to recognize that something else will work better in a particular situation. (Sjogren says the same thing in different words at the beginning of the book, but the rest of the book focuses so much on his style of evangelism that it seems to contradict his original statement.)
Despite his stories of successes (where God obviously brought the right people to them), the overall plan he outlines seems a bit shallow. I agree that Christians need to serve others and show God's love before telling them about His plan of redemption, but some of the things Sjogren recommends (like handing out sodas) don't really seem to be much of a service, and I'm not sure that telling people God loves them without telling them what He did for them qualifies as evangelism.
Despite his stories of successes (where God obviously brought the right people to them), the overall plan he outlines seems a bit shallow. I agree that Christians need to serve others and show God's love before telling them about His plan of redemption, but some of the things Sjogren recommends (like handing out sodas) don't really seem to be much of a service, and I'm not sure that telling people God loves them without telling them what He did for them qualifies as evangelism.
January 15, 2015
This book was just short of a 5 star review because I felt the author talked a little too much about cleaning toilets, which already made him (as he well knows) disconnect from most people. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate his passion for servant evangelism. It's just that he used that specific example a bit too much for my liking.
Ok, other than that, we're talking about one of the best books on church planting I've seen or heard of. It has short, easily digestible bits of wisdom. The authors do a great job of coaching and giving solid ideas and advice while not sounding preachy and playing like they get to tell you what to do in your church plant. They give a wide variety of thoughts and insight into the experience of planting a church and how it usually develops.
Lastly, unlike so many other books we often read, this one actually picks up towards the end! It's almost as if the authors caught a new stride or were slyly saving the best for last rather than simply repeating themselves. All I know is that I bookmarked a lot of sections in the back quarter of this one as reference for what it looks like to start and/or maintain a servant-hearted, Christ-centered church plant. And I'm quite thankful they wrote this book!
Ok, other than that, we're talking about one of the best books on church planting I've seen or heard of. It has short, easily digestible bits of wisdom. The authors do a great job of coaching and giving solid ideas and advice while not sounding preachy and playing like they get to tell you what to do in your church plant. They give a wide variety of thoughts and insight into the experience of planting a church and how it usually develops.
Lastly, unlike so many other books we often read, this one actually picks up towards the end! It's almost as if the authors caught a new stride or were slyly saving the best for last rather than simply repeating themselves. All I know is that I bookmarked a lot of sections in the back quarter of this one as reference for what it looks like to start and/or maintain a servant-hearted, Christ-centered church plant. And I'm quite thankful they wrote this book!
January 23, 2013
As I am in the middle of the pre-launch stage of church planting, this book was perfect timing for me. I wasn't looking for a "how-to book" but rather more coaching from guys who have been there. Sjogren gives his 5 cents on most issues church planters will face and gives great practical coaching for each issue. Often, too many church planting books error on the other spectrum: theory and academic models. Even if not planting, any minister would find this book helpful. He doesn't focus on how-to's, but more so addressing the emotional, personal, and practical struggles a planter will inevitably face. It is evident Sjogren has experienced what most church planters experience. If I had to provide a constructive criticism, I would say this: While admiring and wanting to implement his plea for servant evangelism, I think he could be more broad in how some things are applied sense everyone's context is different.
August 5, 2020
This book was recommended by my pastor for a mid-week discussion group he's leading. So, I went ahead and purchased the group so that I could read along and participate! The book was inspiring as far as the concept of, we as Christians put way too much pressure on ourselves to want to "save" everyone when in many cases, our job is simply to plant the seed and let the Holy Spirit take it from there. We may be one of many people that someone comes across before they're ready to become a follower of Jesus. Realizing that the pressure is not on us to do it all makes it easier to take a deep breath, step back, and plant the seeds. In today's world, it's our job more than ever to plant those seeds and pray that they take root!
February 6, 2016
In this book, Sjogren offers a sort of field manual of church planting, rooted in the "servant evangelism" philosophy he presented in "The Conspiracy of Kindness." But this is no retread. It is a rather random collection of church planting principles arising out of Scripture, wisdom, and experience. As a church planter in the beginning stages, I can only guess at how well these principles work out in practice, and perhaps other reviewers can weigh in. But the greatest benefit I've found so far is the fruitful generation of ideas for serving my own context. And that alone is valuable. I will be revisiting this book in the days to come.
August 4, 2013
Servant evangelism is yet another wonderful method of Christian evangelism. However if acts of kindness are done with out the clear presentation of the motivation of why those acts of kindness are being done it is an insufficient method of evangelism. Acts of kindness can be a possible ear opener to the Gospel, but they alone do not clearly present the way of salvation to anyone. I fully agree with the author that people do not care what you have to say until they clearly feel and know that you actually genuinely care about them.
July 6, 2014
Fantastic! So challenging! I'm one of those people who gets caught up in "ministry" and the church world and loses the perspective of things that really matter -- that God wants to show his love by way of ACTION not just words. This book messed with me from beginning to end, challenging me to stop be so results-driven and get love-driven instead. I can't wait to put into action what Sjogren was teaching, not only in the ministry that I run but in my personal life!
June 13, 2008
I had heard about this from Jim. he had worked with this church years ago and had done this kind of ministry in several cities. I decided to pick up the book when it was a dollar at the library sale. I think it is a fabulous concept and would be a great ministry for Boulder Street or any church or group. Excellent resorce.
August 23, 2017
This is one of those books that has changed the way I see my faith. The impact has endured many years. Practical steps, taking concrete action to show love to others in the name of Jesus. How to not spend all your time around other Christians. How to meet people who might not have opportunities to understand the Christian faith. This is more than random acts of kindness. This is purposeful.
September 11, 2008
Love people by serving them without strings attached. I think this offers a practical way to touch many people with the love of God and find those who are spiritually curious and open. It seems to be a way to break down prejudices against Christians. Practical how to's included.
September 3, 2011
I absolutely loved this simple, loving approach to sharing the Gospel. So far removed from the edgy approach that so many Evangelicals tend to take. It was a breath of fresh air. And reading it impacted my life.
August 23, 2012
Ever read a book that clarifies and organizes a bunch of things you've been thinking/doing for a long time? This is that book for me. Conspiracy of Kindness is a practical guide to evangelism for the rest of us, and it's changing the way I think about the rest of my life.
October 10, 2012
There are dozens of incredible ways in this book to share God's love, and be hands and feet. If you're not feeling led to stand on the street corner yelling than try some of these evangelistic ideas and tools.
April 22, 2014
This is more than just a how-to guide about "sharing the love of God in a practical way". It gives the average Joe inspiration to make the world a better place in simple, easy acts of kindness. Everyone should read this book!
July 31, 2014
This book has radically changed the way we approach ministry. It felt like he was connecting all the dots I had in my mind into one grand picture of how action and the Holy Spirit partner together in outreach. Love this book.
May 27, 2016
this is a treatise on how to creatively attend to others needs, even if they are strangers. It didn't probably spend enough time on cultural sensitivity and considering what a neighborhood would worry about if a church group descended upon it in order to "clean it up".
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