Steve Sjogren pioneered the modern outward-focused church movement more than 30 years ago, when he planted a church in Cincinnati that grew and grew and grew…
The first Sunday morning gathering was held at a square dancing barn, with 37 people showing up. The church grew and moved locations – over 20 in all – from the barn to a hotel, a childcare facility, and even a karate studio!
Growth came through an emphasis on caring for the needy, small groups, and showing God’s love in practical ways—proving that “small things done with great love with change the world.” Some of the acts of kindness included giving away bottles of water at busy stoplights, $1 carwashes (where drivers are given money for the privilege of serving them in Jesus’ name), delivering hot dogs and hamburgers door-to-door, and even cleaning toilets for local businesses. Once “jump-started with kindness,” the church grew to over 4,000 people in a 600-seat facility with 7 weekend services. When a larger facility was built, weekly attendance grew to over 7,000.
In the book The Ten Most Influential Churches of the Past Century by Dr. Elmer Towns, he names the 100 most influential churches and leaders that have done something different that will challenge the Church. The Cincinnati Vineyard church, launched by Steve, was listed as the 15th most influential of the past century. Towns comments, “Servant Evangelism has opened the thoughts and plans of the church worldwide with the combination of showing kindness and serving that makes a church (and life) more attractive to outsiders and helps them arrive at a new definition of the Church – one that will draw them to church and into relationship with Jesus.”
Steve has spoken, mentored and modeled to churches and leaders around the world with the simple message that anyone – regardless of their gifting or experience – can be involved in bringing God’s loving kindness to others. His first book, Conspiracy of Kindness, has sold over 300,000 copies and has been translated into several languages. Altogether, his books have sold over 500,000 copies.
Steve Sjogren is a graduate of Lutheran Bible Institute of California and Bethany College (Kansas). He has been involved in starting new churches (church planting) in Oslo, Norway, Los Angeles, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Ohio and Tampa, Florida. He has been the guest on numbers of TV shows around the US and beyond. He has also been featured in a variety of news outlets and publications including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Christianity Today, Leadership Journal, and Ministries Today. An Associated Press piece dubbed him the “World Record Holder of Most Toilets Cleaned by a Volunteer."