Serving is extremely important to Dino Rizzo. The founder of Servolution and author of the book “Serve Your City” has come across several inspiring people during his 35 years in ministry.
As executive director of ARC (Association of Related Churches) and host of the organization’s UNSCRIPTED web series, Rizzo has met many people engaged in servant leadership.
Below are some stories of those examples.
Joe and Elissa Adams of Manna Church
In 2018, Joe and Elissa Adams moved from North Carolina to Colorado Springs, Colorado, to launch Manna Church. They were called to plant a church in this location to fulfill a mission of reaching military families all over the world.
Elissa is very familiar with military families and the challenges they bring. She moved around the country during childhood, and her father came to know Jesus while he was serving in the military.
As a result of her own experiences as a kid, Elissa gained a heart for military families who had to move frequently and all the challenges that entailed. Now, the couple is trying to give back to this local community in Colorado Springs to make a spiritual impact in their lives.
Davey Blackburn of Nothing is Wasted Ministry
Davey Blackburn moved to Indianapolis with his family in 2011 to plant a new church. Four years later, tragedy struck. His pregnant wife of seven years was murdered during a break-in at their home.
While the founder of Nothing is Wasted Ministry was naturally gutted by the tragedy, he eventually was able to write a beautiful redemption story of purpose, healing, and forgiveness.
Along the way, he said he had to sort through his rage, forgive his wife’s murderers, and release the bitterness he held deep inside. He had to learn how to stop responding to a false filter that was based on his trauma and instead re-wire his neural pathways to God’s narrative.
Now, together with his new wife, Kristi, and their three children, Davey Blackburn is devoted to helping others find similar redemption in their own stories and purpose in their own plans. A major focus of this is understanding God’s redemptive purpose through pain.
Ontario and Crystal Green of Courageous Church
Ontario and Crystal Green were drawn to the Tampa, Florida, area out of their God-given love for the region. As they were considering whether to plant a new church there, they learned that the city was not only 80% unchurched but that it was one of the nation’s top cities for human trafficking.
The Greens were hesitant about launching a church at first, but after working directly with Dino Rizzo, they went from being apprehensive to being fully committed to the process.
They learned from another local ARC church behind the scenes for more than a year to understand the inner workings of an ARC church and how they could apply that to their own project.
Now, they serve the local community of Tampa, bringing the message of Jesus to people in a city that was in desperate need of that message.
About Dino Rizzo
Dino Rizzo, a 35-year ministry veteran, co-founded Healing Place Church with his wife, DeLynn, where he served as senior pastor for two decades. Through his passion for inspiring believers to serve their communities, Dino Rizzo founded Servolution and authored “Serve Your City.” As Executive Director of ARC (Association of Related Churches), Rizzo oversees the planting of over 1,000 churches worldwide and is on the Senior Leadership Team at Church of the Highlands.