Servolution: Starting a Church Revolution through Serving (Leadership Network Innovation Series) [Paperback]

Dino Rizzo (Author)

Book Description

Release date: April 21, 2009 | Series: Leadership Network Innovation Series (Book 9)

'Servolution is a must-read. It is inspirational. It is practical. And it has the potential to revolutionize your life.' Mark Batterson ---Lead Pastor, National Community Church A movement is rumbling through the body of Christ---a revolutionary army of people giving hope to a hurting world through practical, personal acts of service. In Servolution, Dino Rizzo shares the story of his relentless pursuit of ways to bless the lost, poor, and hurting people of his community in Jesus' name. You'll be amazed and inspired by the incredible ways God has used Healing Place Church to meet the needs of thousands of people. Each chapter includes practical suggestions and resources for use in any church. Be encouraged by the testimony of how God's Spirit can use a simple passion to serve to revolutionize your approach to ministry. Wherever you are and whatever your gifts, you can play a vital role in this revolution through serving.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

In all my years of exploring the power of leadership, I have learned that the true expression of leadership is found in serving. I have witnessed the incredible story of Dino Rizzo and Healing Place Church and have seen the eternal impact that serving has made on so many lives in their community and throughout the world. Servolution is a must-read for anyone who wants to transform their life and the lives of others simply by choosing to serve with no strings attached.
- John C. Maxwell, Author, Speaker, and Founder of EQUIP

Dino Rizzo is one of those guys you can't not like. His love for God and for people are contagious. And his book, Servolution, is a must-read. It is inspirational. It is practical. And it has the potential to revolutionize your life.
- Mark Batterson, Lead Pastor, National Community Church

Dino Rizzo attracts miracles! Why? Because he serves people everywhere he goes. I know from serving people on the streets of New York City that miracles follow serving. This book is the story of miracles that have come to Dino and Healing Place Church because of their commitment to serving others with no strings attached. Read, study, and implement what the Spirit says to you through this book and get ready to see miracles in your church.
- Nelson Searcy, Lead Pastor, The Journey Church

"Louisiana is a beautiful state with tremendous resources. But our land and bounty cannot match the magnificence and generosity of our people. I saw it first hand, when the levees broke, and the waters rose. Dino and thousands like him took in the homeless, fed the hungry, and served those in need. The power of love, the power of serving, binds us together as a people and honors the truth of our highest calling."
-Governor Bobby Jindal

Matthew 11:12: "Since the days of John the Baptist, the Kingdom of God has been forcefully advancing and forceful men lay hold of it." Dino Rizzo is a dynamo helping to advance the kingdom of God. His heart for the poor, oppressed, and the needy is precious. This book will stimulate your resolve to serve and advance the kingdom.
- Bill McCartney, CEO, Promise Keepers

Dino Rizzo oozes servolution from his pores, which is both inspiring and contagious. Once you join this revolution, there's no looking back. Serving the poor is one of the most powerful ways to demonstrate Christ's love, and Dino does an amazing job showing us the way. This book will change the world. I guarantee it.
- Anne Jackson, Author, Mad Church Disease

I've known Dino Rizzo for many years as a close friend to Bobbie and me, and to our church family. Dino's life, passion, and enthusiasm more than qualify him to speak with influence on the topic of servanthood. Healing Place Church is a great example of a church filled with kingdom-driven, servant-minded, community focused people, and they are strategically bringing change to the nation. This book is about team, it's about vision, and it will inspire you to a fresh and radical way of living.
- Brian Houston, Senior Pastor, Hillsong Church

Serving. It's a lost art. The simplicity of serving has been buried beneath a mountain of religious programs and activities that mask the truth, and the truth is that our hearts have been hardened to the desperate needs in people's lives. Thank God for Pastor Dino and the servolution that he, his wife, and his ministry are calling for. Dino has masterfully captured this much-needed message not only with the words he has written but also with the life he has lived. This book is for every pastor, every church, and every believer who wants to fulfill God's mandate on this earth. Don't just read this book with your eyes; let its message sink into the depths of your soul.
- Priscilla Shirer, Author and Bible Teacher

In Servolution Pastor Dino Rizzo lays out a blueprint for what I believe will be the next big move in the church. Every pastor needs to read this book to understand the implications of this seismic shift in how church is done in America and around the world.
- Geoff Surratt, Co-author of The Multi-site Church Revolution

We were created to live a life of servanthood. Sadly, many of us have drifted off course. Servolution is a book every Christian should read. I can think of no person more qualified to write it than Pastor Dino Rizzo. He lives what is written here.
- David Meyer, CEO, Joyce Meyer Ministries

If every church in America would read Dino's book and do what he and DeLynn did in their community, massive numbers of people would be coming to Christ in our nation. So many books teach church-growth principles, but this book is not about that. Servolution is simply about rolling up your sleeves and serving people in your community by meeting practical needs. What Dino has written exemplifies the statement that people do not care how much you know until they know how much you care. It's not about growing the church so that you can meet needs but rather about meeting needs and finding that the church will grow as a byproduct of serving others.
- Nancy Alcorn, Mercy Ministries International

In Servolution, we're reminded why the church exists...to demonstrate God's love in powerful and tangible ways. This book is at once practical and inspiring. Healing Place Church is pastored by Dino Rizzo and models how to walk this out and embrace Jesus' teaching. Servolution empowers you to bring solution to the needs that surround you. With Servolution you will be inspired to take your eyes from yourself and be a solution to the needs that surround you.
- John & Lisa Bevere, Messenger International

From the Author

Starting a Servolution is not about an event; it is about developing a culture. Infusing this culture into the DNA of your church will change your view of the world and your perspective of the needs of those who live around you.

This movement is rumbling throughout the Body of Christ - a revolutionary army of people ready to take up this mandate, and who are unwilling to let others get away. We are actively pursuing the lost, the forgotten, and the poor to show them a God who is passionately in love with them. We stand ready with one heart, saying, "I am here to do whatever, whenever, so that the others will not get away. I will serve others and show them the hope they can have in Jesus."

I invite you to join the movement. It's a revolution of serving others...a Servolution. The troops are followers of Christ, the companies of soldiers are churches, and the weapons are towels for service. Once you have experienced the intoxication from serving someone who is less fortunate than you with every bit of energy, time and resource you possess, you will be hooked. You'll be a servolution junkie ready to plunge in to the movement for your entire life. Through our lives, through our families, and through our churches God is about to touch the lives of others in ways we never dreamed possible.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan (April 21, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310287634
• ISBN-13: 978-0310287636
• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.6 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #271,284 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dino Rizzo is the founding pastor of Healing Place Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana - a church with over 7,000 people in 11 campuses and 18 weekend services. HPC has been named one of America's Top 25 Most Innovative Churches - a reflection of his overwhelming drive to reach the unreachable and to engage with others to show God's love to the poor and hurting - wherever they are. His book, SERVOLUTION, exposes his passion to see believers join together in a revolution of serving others - Jesus style. Dino and his wife DeLynn have three children.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Mind Blowingly, Heart Warmingly Great Stuff May 14, 2009

By Steve Sjogren

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This new book by Dino Rizzo will give you a place to start. Most people are out and about just wondering, "How do I move from where I am to where I need to be?" Dino models the way with beautiful simplicity to all readers with his stories and principles included here. He shows us how to just begin with of open hearts, minds and hands that are willing to be directed by God. If you want to know what to do just start giving stuff away the way Dino and his crew did and you will soon have a flow of life happening in your midst. He shows this is not rocket physics. Life begets life. Dino shows us how to get onboard with life - the rest is just details.
Thanks for a beautiful book Dino.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Good, but flawed January 27, 2013

By LMS

Format:Kindle Edition

Lately, I've been thinking about getting more involved with serving both in my church and just in general. I came across this book in the Kindle Store and decided to order it. There are some great ideas in here about practical, simple service projects. I also really liked the emphasis on being willing to do whatever, wherever. I think so often, people are only willing to do things that will attract attention to themselves. But even a cursory reading of the Gospels will make it crystal clear that is not Jesus' way.

However, in my opinion, there is one major flaw about this book, and what ultimately made me decide to return it. On almost every page, Pastor Rizzo is talking about something he and his church did. Now, to be fair, this church has done a lot of great things. They were willing to serve the firefighters after 9/11 and to help out the victims of Hurricane Katrina. I don't doubt for a minute that Pastor Rizzo has anything but the best of intentions. I think he has a lot of great insight and experiences to share. I just think he went about it in the wrong way. Rather than focusing so much on his church, I think this book would have been much more effective if he had focused on the entire body of Christ. After all, this is stuff that all Christians should be doing, not just one particular church. I really wanted to like this book, but I just couldn't get past the constant references to one individual church. I agree with a previous reviewer who stated that it definitely has a tone of "look what we did" Which is really too bad, because I think this book discusses a vitally important topic, one that people need to be challenged in.

I highly recommend "Barefoot Church" By Brandon Hatmaker and "The Dangerous Act of Loving Your Neighbor" by Mark Labberton.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Servolution the real deal April 17, 2009

By Geoff Surratt

Format:Paperback

Phrases like social justice, community transformation and servant evangelism have recently become trendy in the church world, but Dino Rizzo and Healing Place Church were the hands and feet of Jesus long before it became popular. In Servolution Dino outlines how HPC from its very inception has been a healing place for a hurting world. For any leader or church who wants to do more than attract people to weekend show Servolution is an essential read.