A Baptist church in Tennessee is using a unique evangelism tool to reach members of its town with the Gospel message – yellow rubber ducks.
The notion came to Pastor David Evans of Springfield Baptist Church in Springfield, Tennessee after learning of a fun trend involving Jeep owners and rubber ducks.
“The Jeep community has a thing with rubber ducks,” Evans told the Baptist Press. “When those who have a Jeep see another Jeep in a parking lot, they probably have a rubber duck in their car because in that community, they’ll just walk up and they’ll put it on the hood or in the driver’s door handle and then leave.”
One media outlet claims to have figured out the origin of this trend involving random acts of kindness. Drivin’ Vibin says “Jeep Ducking” began in Ontario, Canada in 2020 when a Jeep Wrangler driver, Allison Parliament, purchased a bag of ducks for her family. She noticed another Jeep Wrangler nearby and wrote the message “Nice Jeep!” and left it on the vehicle.
According to the outlet, the vehicle owner asked Parliament what she was doing and they had a good laugh about it, but it also sparked a bigger idea. Parliament then decided to start a Facebook page and Instagram account that includes a community of Jeep owners and their ducks.
There are no rules to the duck craze, but the yellow toy symbolizes community, joy, and fun.
And now when one is spotted in Springfield, TN and the surrounding Robertson County it is also a symbol of the love of Jesus Christ.
Recently, Pastor Evans lined the church’s platform with a toy jeep and 500 rubber ducks to encourage his congregation to share the Gospel by simply placing a duck on Jeeps around town.
“I told them to walk away, don’t talk to anybody, don’t look at anybody, and don’t stand there waiting for someone to come up. Just leave the duck and let it do the talking,” he explained. “It sounds stupid but it worked.”
Evans shared that the rubber ducks served the same purpose as a Gospel tract, leading people to the church and hopefully converting that into a genuine encounter with Christ.
“Throughout the years, Southern Baptists have done ourselves a disservice because when you look at our evangelism training techniques, most of them involve memorizing an outlook or knocking on a stranger’s door,” he said.
Each of the ducks had a URL code printed on them that leads people to the church’s website and a page that says “You’ve Been #Ducked”.
“We wanted to remind you that you are LOVED!! Jesus LOVES the ever livin’ mess out of you! We hope that you are encouraged today and are reminded that God has a great purpose and reason for you because He LOVES you,” reads the web page.
It also shares scriptures and leads visitors in a direction where they can commit their life to Christ.
Evans said he wanted people to know that “not only does the Jeep community love you, but Jesus also loves them.”
According to the Baptist Press, one person called into the church and told leaders they were having a bad day until they saw the duck on their Jeep. He shared that seeing the yellow toy lifted his spirits.
The outreach tool is also creating a buzz in the community.
WayFM radio in Nashville caught wind of what the church was doing and applauded its unique outreach.
“It would be interesting to see if people go on the link and they end up going to that church and maybe finding God because of a dumb duck put on a car,” the host, Wally, said. “But you know, that’s how God works sometimes. He uses anything.”
Members of Evans’ church have asked for more ducks because they understand how it is uplifting the community.
Evans said it was a “sink or swim” idea, but it has created a positive attitude toward evangelism, as well.
“As a pastor, I have to think, ‘How can I help everybody share the Gospel?’ I have discovered two basic principles,” Evans explained. “They have to want to share the Gospel, and they need to be excited to tell others about Jesus.”
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