They were on their way to the capital city, and for the third time Jesus warned his disciples of his impending death and resurrection. But all they heard him say was, “we’re going to Jerusalem” (Mark 10:32–34).
Convinced that Jesus was about to overthrow the evil Roman empire and make Israel great again, James and John made their move and beat the others to the punch. “Do whatever we ask of you,” the Sons of Thunder audaciously demanded of Jesus, “give us positions of power, privilege, and praise when you become king” (Mark 10:35–37). But James and John—and the other disciples—had fundamentally misunderstood Jesus’s mission and their role in it. So Jesus corrected them again and turned their ideas of greatness upside down.
He reminded them that in this hateful and hurtful world, being great means being first and high above others by controlling them and demanding their respect (Mark 10:42). But in his loving and grace-filled kingdom, said Jesus, being great means being last and low by willingly serving others and lifting them up (Mark 10:43–44). Why? Because that’s how our King first demonstrated his greatness, by serving and saving us. “For even the Son of Man came not to be served,” declared Jesus, “but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).
This is perhaps one of the most radical things Jesus ever said, and it is also the Gospel.
In His Steps
Named for our Savior, Servant Church of San Diego launched in 2016 after I sensed God’s calling to share the gospel and grace of Jesus with the inner-city community of Logan Heights. Located just southeast of downtown San Diego and partially beneath the Coronado Bridge, this culturally rich and historically diverse community still struggles with economic poverty and criminal exploitation. Despite the many challenges of ministering in this context, however, Servant Church is committed to loving and serving our often overlooked and underserved neighbors—as Jesus first loved and served us.
A Home for the Unwanted
Like most inner-city communities, Logan Heights has long been the place where San Diego has kept its unwanted. Beginning with Spanish colonization and continuing through American expansionism, successive waves of people—such as Kumeyaay Indians, Mexicans, Asians, and Blacks—made our community their home because they were prevented from living or organizing elsewhere in the city. More recently, Logan Heights is also having to shelter growing populations of homeless persons and refugees. Believing that all Christians are former strangers and aliens now freely welcomed into God’s household (Ephesians 2:19), Servant Church desires to be a spiritual home for our city’s unwanted.
A Domestic Foreign Mission
Located just 15 miles north of the US-Mexico border, Logan Heights is also a border town community. And although Servant Church is a US church plant, our context is culturally, demographically, and statistically foreign to many American Christians. For example, our community’s population of 40,000 is over 85% Hispanic, which means our worship services, Bible studies, and evangelistic outreaches are fully bilingual in order to connect with our neighbors and their multi-generational families. Additionally, Hispanics’ spiritual openness means they are often susceptible to false gospels, Christian cults, and even overt paganism— all of which are active in our community. Lastly, Logan Heights also has the city’s highest number of children per capita—roughly 1 out of every 3 of our neighbors is under the age of 18. And among our community’s children, 30% are considered homeless, 60% will not graduate from high school, and 80% live at or below the poverty line. It is within this context that Servant Church obeys Jesus’s command to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19–20).
An Everyday Church
Finally, because Logan Heights continues to suffer from systemic governmental failures, ever-changing immigration policies, and generational cycles of brokenness, Servant Church strives to be an “every day” church—one that is in our community, for our community, and serving our community every day of the week. In addition to worship, discipleship, and evangelism, over the years we’ve also launched two other ministries. In 2017, we started Alma Community Care, a separate faith-based non-profit that provides professional mental health help with gospel-centered care to our community’s families. And in 2018, we began Strong Youth Outreach, a program focused on helping our community’s unchurched and at-risk teenagers become spiritually and relationally strong in the Lord. As a congregation following Jesus’s lead and laboring in God’s harvest field, Servant Church works hard to teach and preach the gospel in our community while bringing healing, help, and hope to our neighbors (Matthew 9:35-38).
The Gospel for All
After almost 20 years of ordained ministry, I continue to thank God for my time at Westminster Seminary. Studying God’s word, working through theology, learning from church history, and training in preaching all taught me that the ultimate goal of ministry is to make the Gospel of Jesus accessible and applicable to all—especially the least, last, and lost among us.
In your prayers for Servant Church, please pray: 1) that God would bless all of our efforts to share Jesus with our neighbors, 2) that God would protect our community’s children from evil, and 3) that God would raise up local leaders and laborers to serve our inner city families in Jesus’s name. Thank you!
The son of Hispanic immigrants and an MIT graduate, Chris received an MDiv from Westminster Seminary California in 2005, was ordained to ministry in 2006, and was called to plant Servant Church of San Diego in 2015. His wife, Carrie Anne, is the Executive Director of Alma Community Care. Together they live, work, and serve in Logan Heights with their daughter, Magnolia Mae. Servant Church is a mission work of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA).
This article is from our Spring 2025 edition of UPDATE Magazine, Servants of the Church.