Why The Name "Conspiracy Of Kindness"?

So, perhaps you are wondering about this unusual name, "Conspiracy of Kindness." What does it mean? Why did you pick this for the name of the blog for Stillwaters church?

Well, there are a couple of different reasons. I had originally thought to name the blog Philadelphia, after the church mentioned in the book Revelation, because the name "city of brotherly love" matched the mission that our church has identified here in Salisbury. I also liked the message that Jesus gave to the church at Philadelphia. However, and not unexpectedly, the address that would have contained simply "Philadelphia" was already taken.

As I was pondering another name that would convey what we believe that we are supposed to be doing, I thought of Steve Sjogren's book Conspiracy of Kindness. Here is a picture of the book with a link to Amazon:


I don't remember where I discovered this book, but when I read it, I was totally captivated by a church's plan to show the love of Jesus to Cincinnati, OH with no strings attached. They were going to follow their plan with no hidden agendas. If no one came to their church it was OK. If they didn't see anyone get saved as a result of their outreach that was OK too. They were going to intentionally continue to share the love of Jesus with the people of Cincinnati in practical ways regardless of the outcome.

They call it "Servant Evangelism" because their modus operandi is to do practical things to let people know that Jesus loves them. The first project that they came up with was to go door to door in downtown Cincinnati and offer to wash the businesses' toilets for free "to show them God's love in a practical way." The effect was electric. Not everyone would allow them to serve them, but it sure got people talking.

As they expanded their program, not everyone got saved. Not everyone came to their church. But because they had been laboring, many people (even some that they hadn't served) DID get saved. Many people DID come to their church (although many of them had never been served by them.) And the city of Cincinnati became a much friendlier place.

Ever since I have read this book, I have been convinced that its methodologies are worth emulating. What better way to be relevant to the society in which we live? What better way to help people understand who Jesus is and what He is about than by trading words for action?

The beauty of Servant Evangelism is that it doesn't require a head full of theology to be effective. Even the newest believer can be involved in it. Even the most shy can be a servant evangelist. Oftentimes, the people that are being served don't even know that something has been done for them until long after the person serving them has left, but the effectiveness is not lessened one iota by the lack of direct contact.

There is also a serendipitous benefit that derives to the one doing the Servant Evangelism: their courage and boldness to actually talk to others about the gospel is increased.

So, in the near future you will be hearing about plans for Stillwaters to "Show God's love in a practical way." One is in the works right now. Start thinking of ways to serve your neighbors. How would you like to be served? What would make your day if someone did it for you out of the blue? With a little planning, a little work, and a little money we will see our city transformed by the love of Jesus demonstrated through our hands.