Recently, we have been discussing the basics of being a part of the Church. Being an active member of the body of Christ takes effort and energy, and sometimes your time, but it’s a major blessing. Not only does it provide life, refreshment, and connection, but it can help with practical things like financial situations and childcare. Many churches even offer free resources, including books, teachings, and more, that help you grow in your relationship with God.
However, with the many blessings, there are a few basic practices that we should all take part in, that help churches stick around, help share the gospel message, and build ourselves and others up in our faith. One of those practices is serving.
Many don’t have a great idea of what it means to serve. But it’s very simple, and has been for me and many others, a blessing in itself. Fortunately, there are many ways to serve, and we can all find a place to serve our church and our community. But we must begin by understanding why we serve in the first place.
Why Should We Serve?
In last week’s post, we discussed the tithe, and we spent much time discussing why we tithe. That is because the tithe in itself is very simple, but we need to know why in order to be convinced in faith. With serving, we ought to take the opposite approach.
The reason why we serve should be pretty straightforward. Churches are a non-profit, and don’t make that much money. As we saw in a study on our previous post, only about 5% of the church even tithes. So, churches need all of the money they can get, and they need to be smart about the way that they use it. Unfortunately, this means that they can’t hire a ton of employees and a ton of ministers.
However, all of the work that churches need to do for their people and their communities still needs to be done. Things like childcare and help with the processes and such that go on need to be done, but not all of the other ministers can do it. So that is where we come in.
We can help our churches, and our surrounding communities, by serving in church and helping with the little or the big things that go on. By the work that we do to serve, the Church experience is able to become a blessing to all those who come, whether it’s the couple that has been going to church for the last decade, or the first-time guest. Serving in church not only makes it a better place and a better experience, but it relieves the ministers of having to clean toilets and serve coffee, so that they can minister the Word to all of us!
We also serve to be the hands and feet of Jesus, in our communities, whether it be work or school, or in Church. You can read more about this here!
How Can We Serve?
Now, we get to the part that is a little less straight-forward, but no less practical. In order to serve our peers and our church, we must learn how we can serve, and the different areas that are available.
While every church is different, and may have different options, such as coffee bar, or a parking lot team, most churches will have these three categories of serving. As you read through them, think about an area that you may like to serve in, and that may fall into one of these three categories.
Ministering
The first area to serve in, and perhaps the most vital is ministering. I know what you may be thinking, and no, this doesn’t mean that you have to get on stage and preach. What ministering entails is far more calm than that.
Ministering may have a different definition to everybody, but I would put anything where you are in direct contact with the ministering of the word and of the gospel under this term. This can include serving in kid’s ministry, or with the youth as a leader. This can also relate to those that help others become members, or counsel people. This would encompass the role of the head pastor, but it can include you too!
This role can have a major effect on the body of Christ. If every minister ministering the whole Bible well, then the Church would be much more effective. However, we often find that the Church needs good ministers, even if that means they’re overseeing the nursery, or counseling the broken-hearted.
Hosting
The term, “hosting”, can also mean a ton of different things. But in the Church, it often refers to those that help host the people. This often includes greeters, ushers, and parking lot helpers. It can also include security officers, a refreshment team, and more.
At first glance, hosting may not seem that important, but it is incredibly vital to the church. People often pick up on little things, like a clean floor, friendly faces, and a welcoming spirit. In fact, a study showed that people often decide whether they will come back to a church within the first 10 minutes, which gives them enough time to have been greeted, seen the floor, and gotten a complimentary coffee.
Although it may not seem as direct and as much of a blessing for church goers as ministering, it is just as important to the overall church experience.
Leading
The third common option and way to serve is by leading. This comes down to those that lead a small group, bible study, or lead a community within the church.
Community and fellowship is important, and as we will discuss next week, crucial to the believer. We aren’t designed to be alone, God designed us to be with other people, and what better way to serve the church than to lead a group.
Whether the group is big, small, focused on growth or friendship, the small groups are an incredibly crucial part of the church, and we need others to lead one. One of the best parts of leading a small group is that you get to minister and host as well! By leading others through questions and hosting them at your house, you get to be a major blessing in their life and so help them be a blessing to others!
Where Should I Serve?
Now, you may be wondering, “where should I serve my church?” There are a ton of great options, and probably even more that will pop up in your church, so you almost have too much choice. Fortunately, I think that we can bring it down to two things.
Do you have specific gifts? Or a heart for something? Many people have the gift of mercy but aren’t good leaders. They fit better as helpers, not the head of something. Those people shouldn’t lead a Bible study. Some are not good preachers or teachers and shouldn’t try and become a head pastor. Similarly, if you have a great heart for kids’ ministry, you should pursue that (within the right context). However, if you’re asking that question, you probably have no idea where your heart is, which is where we look at something else.
I believe that we should always pursue serving the deepest need. Every church has needs and areas without many who serve. For example, not many people love to serve on the parking lot team at my church. It takes a lot of energy and enthusiasm, that many people don’t have at earlier times in the day. At my church, there’s a need there, and hopefully people will come to fill that need. However, there isn’t a major need for door greeters and so those the would like to serve there, would be more of a blessing to other areas of the ministry, although it may be a stressor.
Be a blessing and serve where the deepest need is at. If you don’t know what that need is, you can always ask someone and find out!
Final Thoughts
It takes a lot of effort to serve, and lot of time. But as we have seen through this post, it is a major blessing to us, and those around us. Additionally, it is completely necessary for the church to thrive, and it not only blesses us, but also the Lord.
When we serve the Church, we are serving the Lord, which is a major blessing and honor. My prayer for you would be that you find an area to serve, and that you do so diligently, as is right for us to do!
I also hope that you would extend your servitude to others, even those ourside the church, and that through you, the light of Christ would be shone for the world to see.
Have a great week!
