Dino Rizzo is a renowned pastor with thirty-five years of ministry experience, including two decades of planting and pastoring a megachurch. Dino Rizzo's extensive years of experience have allowed him to live, love, and lead with remarkable skill, making him a valuable source of guidance and inspiration for many people.
Dino and his wife, DeLynn Rizzo, founded Healing Place Church in Baton Rouge in 1993. The church began with just twelve people and grew to over 10,000 in weekly attendance across nine locations worldwide, focusing on serving the poor and the hurting. Dino also founded the Servolution movement, encouraging churches to join hands and embark on a revolution of helping others. Dino's passion for outreach and mission work is evident in the numerous outreaches and programs Healing Place Church involves, from offering free medical and dental clinics to helping ex-prisoners re-enter society.
Dino is also the co-founder and Executive Director of the ARC (Association of Related Churches), which has planted over 1000 churches worldwide. Pastor Rizzo also serves on the Senior Leadership Team at Church of the Highlands, overseeing all areas of outreach, missions, prison ministries, dream centers, and Serve days. Dino is a gifted author who has written several books, including Serve Your City. He and his wife have been married for 34 years and have three adult children.
Can you tell us a bit about your background and how you got involved in church ministry?
Dino Rizzo: I grew up in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and was raised in a Catholic family. However, I wasn’t involved with the church until I was reached through outreach. It was a life-changing experience for me, and I gave my life to Christ. I went to Bible college and became involved in youth ministry. I loved it.
My wife, De-Lynn, and I later planted a church called The Healing Place in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where we served for 20 years. We then stepped down from our church in 2012 and went through a time of restoration before joining Chris Hodges, pastor of Church of the Highlands in Birmingham, where we currently teach at churches about outreach.
Can you explain the vision of ARC?
Dino Rizzo: ARC (Association of Related Churches) was started over 20 years ago by Greg Surratt, pastor of Seacoast Church, and Billy Hornsby with the vision to resource couples who have a dream to plant churches. Back then, I wasn’t aware of any other church planting organizations, so this seemed like an important place to start.
Since then, we’ve launched over one thousand churches, including Church of the Highlands and New Life Church. Our goal is to create relationships with these couples and their teams so that they can thrive in their community.
What leadership qualities and skills are important in the church planting process, and how does ARC encourage them?
Dino Rizzo: Leadership principles such as character, hard work, honesty, and resilience are essential. We also emphasize the importance of caring for people and being flexible with ideas. However, the success of a church plant depends on various factors, including location, culture, and calling.
Why do you think some church plants are more successful than others?
Dino Rizzo: Success depends on leadership, culture, hard work, connection with people, and various other factors. However, there is also a God factor that we don’t fully understand.
Rick Warren once said that we don’t make the wave; God sends it, and we need to learn how to ride it. Each wave is unique, and we need to pay attention to our own wave instead of comparing it to others.
You’ve written books about serving and starting a “servolution.” Why are you so passionate about this topic?
Dino Rizzo: I was reached through outreach and wouldn’t have made a move toward the church on my own. I believe there are many people like me who won’t make the first move, so it’s up to us to make the first move toward them.
Outreach is about noticing a need, pain, or suffering and coming alongside to help. We want to empower church leaders to realize there are people around them waiting for someone to be the hands and feet of Jesus. It doesn’t take a lot of money or resources to make a difference.
What are some major challenges you’re seeing this season?
Dino Rizzo: I believe that marriages are struggling, and raising kids, especially teenagers, is tough. The people who share your last name have the most significant impact on you, and they are the most important.
My heart goes out to those who are struggling, but there is hope. I have faced challenges in my marriage and with my children.
If you were in front of a group of a few hundred young church leaders, what one piece of advice would you give them?
Dino Rizzo: Take a deep breath, relax, and calm down. Everything is going to be okay because God is powerful. Stop obsessing over your phone and social media, and start focusing on loving people. We live in an overly anxious world, but remember that God is good, and we will all be okay.
