Should a church spend money on community service to get people to evangelize?

Answer:

"Jesus answered them and said, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal'" (John 6:27-28).

The funds that a church has should be considered the Lord's money. Those funds should only be spent on things authorized by God. Thus, you would need first to prove that God authorizes churches to be involved in community services. See:

• The Church at Work in Benevolence
• Individual Duty or Local Church Duty?
• A Friendly Letter on Benevolence

Think for a moment. Many children lack interest in mathematics. Do we increase their interest by offering a gymnastics class and discussing math while they work out? It should be clear that you don't fix the problem by offering something unrelated. In the same way, community services attract people who want the benefits they offer. If you want people who are interested in serving God, then you have to show them how serving God will benefit them in this life and in the life to come. Thus, you find in Acts the Apostles talking about the Scriptures:

• "And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, 'Be saved from this perverse generation!'" (Acts 2:40).
• "And according to Paul's custom, he went to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, 'This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ'" (Acts 17:2-3).