God has called us to serve one another, and one of the best places to do that is within our church communities. Here are 10 tips to help you serve well.
1. Keep your interests in mind.
What are you interested in? What do you like to do? I think that God gives us certain interests in order to develop us in those areas. Think about what you like to do, and see if there’s an area that you can serve God in. For me, that area was definitely music, and God used that interest to help me look at worship music and see how I could use music to serve the church.
2. Play into your strengths.
If you know you’re good at something, see how you can use it to serve. If you know you’re good at math or science—where in the church can you apply those gifts? Perhaps you can offer free tutoring for students at your church or local community. If you’re good in the medical field, maybe you can go on medical missions or volunteer to be a camp nurse.
3. Go where you’re affirmed.
When somebody tells you “Hey, you’re good at this. You should keep doing it!”, you’ve been affirmed. Perhaps you’re good at public speaking and people tell you, “I was really blessed by what you said.” Then you can go and exercise that gift. Maybe that means leading a devotion in your small groups or maybe that means becoming a Sunday school teacher or preacher. There are many possibilities, so listen for those affirmations in your life.
4. Look out for a need.
As a dad, I’m very thankful for those who serve in childcare! There will always be a need to look after the children, and you don’t need to have a degree in child psychology. Like many teachers and volunteers will tell you: with kids, you just have to be available. That principle of availability applies to any area of service, whether that’s setting up tables or picking up trash.
5. Try new things.
You won’t know what you’re good at unless you try it, so be open. There’s a phrase in a book we love to read as a family: “Try a new food. It might taste good!” You might discover you enjoy the new area of service. Or you’ll find out what you truly dislike and then move on to the next. You can even lead the way and start something new.
6. Consider a trial period.
Don’t think you’re going to serve in a certain area forever, and don’t claim something as your place of service. Try new things out for a little while and get affirmed in it. That will help confirm that you can and should keep doing it. Set a trial period of a few months or even a whole year to see what you’re good at.
7. Don’t serve to be seen.
Don’t serve for recognition. Don’t serve because you want to be seen on the stage. There could also be hidden motives in your heart—so don’t pick up trash so people will see how holy you are. Jesus warned of the Pharisees who want to be recognized, saying long prayers and sitting at places of prominence in the synagogue. “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:1)
8. Don’t serve for prestige.
Don’t serve to gain positions of authority, have more clout, or climb up the church ladder.
There’s a story about two brothers who once asked to sit at Jesus’ right hand, the position of power and authority. Jesus responded: But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
9. Don’t serve to meet someone.
Sometimes we will serve to hang out with others or to make a networking connection. That’s not the right motive. Confess that to God and clear your mind and your heart. Serving shouldn’t be for some ulterior motive, but it should be to love God and to love others genuinely and authentically.
10. Don’t serve because you feel forced.
God wants us to serve him joyfully. Think about Jesus and how for the joy that was set before Him, He endured the cross. And so, in the same way, serving others takes sacrifice. It takes commitment, it takes time. But we want to be like Jesus, who joyfully submitted to God in his service.
In conclusion, use your gifts to serve one another in love.
Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.
1 Peter 4:8–10
If you look closely at the verses above, you’ll notice serving falls under the umbrella of “above all, keep loving one another earnestly.” So don’t lose sight of the fact that when we serve with our hands, we’re serving from our hearts to share God’s love with other people.
And that’s the important part: serve because you love God and because you love others. Go and learn what you’re good at, grow in those skills, and as you go out into the world, using your gifts to serve God and one another in love.