6 – Where Do We Serve?

Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. (1 Corinthians 12:14)
What can a team do to serve others? The possibilities are endless. Here are some ideas, divided into two types of service, “Inside” means service within the fellowship, “Outside” means serving people outside the fellowship. We would like to develop as many teams that are doing things outside are we have teams doing things inside. Be creative. You will find that there are great ideas for service in your heart.
INSIDE
Children’s Ministry – The primary responsibility for raising children and leading them to faith in God belongs to parents. However, most parents will appreciate the important support role of the church. We would consider adding children’s ministry to Mercy Night if we had a team that was ready to step up to the challenge.
Youth Ministry – The decisions that young people make during their teenage years often shape their lives for many years to come. Working with teenagers can be very challenging, but extremely rewarding. We could add youth ministry to Mercy Night if we have a team able to take it on.
Singles Ministry – American churches have generally not done very well at serving single adults. According to Scripture, singles have a special opportunity to focus their lives on pleasing God. “I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord's affairs—how he can please the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 7:32)
Unfortunately, some singles struggle with direction and important choices in their lives. Single adults need encouragement to pursue God’s best for their lives. Adding a team that is focused on singles would be a valuable addition to Mercy Night.
Worship – Those who lead worship in the local church have a special opportunity. People gather in churches each week, but they come in a wide variety of emotional states. A worship team that is prepared and prayed up can lead others into joyous worship that will sweep away the discouragement and worry they may have brought in with them. A worship team also has the opportunity to plant songs of joy in the hearts and minds of people that will help carry them throughout the week. On Mercy Night, we’ll use a variety of worship leaders and teams and generally keep our worship times pretty simple for the sake of people who aren’t accustomed to going to church.
Drama – Simple skits and dramas acted out to music can be a powerful way of communicating a message or setting the stage for someone bringing a spoken message.
Greeters – God wants people to encounter Him when they come to church. Paul wrote that when someone new comes in, they should say, “God is really among you!” (1 Corinthians 14:25 - He was talking about the gift of prophecy when he said this). However, when someone comes to church, they aren’t always comfortable at first. It may have been a big struggle just to get there. The friendly face of a greeter may break the ice for them and make them start feeling at home. Greeters have many other opportunities to help people in simple, but important ways. Examples include letting people know what their options are for child care, where to find rest rooms, etc.
OUTSIDE
Evangelism – Jesus taught us to, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.” (Mark 16:15). Many Christians have never led another person to Christ. A church’s organized outreach activities can provide a learning experience for believers, touch the lives of people in the community, and keep the heart of the church aware of the needs in the community.
There are many creative ways that a church can reach out to its community, and a leader can open the door for a team to get involved.
Benevolence – A local church often has people stop by looking for help with their daily needs, such as food, clothing, rent, utilities, etc. Most of the time, people with these needs have many other needs that are deeper, but may be less obvious. A team may develop a creative way to help people with these needs.
God teaches us to be generous and caring with those in need. “If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs.” (Deuteronomy 15:7-8) Notice in this passage how a hard heart and a tight fist go together.
Jails and Prisons – Our local jails and nearby prisons will allow volunteers to come in and hold Bible studies or church services for the prisoners.
Nursing Homes – Almost all nursing homes will welcome teams from churches to come and visit their patients. This can be a challenging form of service.
Block Parties – We have sponsored several block parties in parks and apartment buildings. A team could take the lead in developing a block party.
Skills Development Mission – SDM is a local ministry that works primarily with immigrant children and families, helping them develop academic and job skills. There are many creative things a team could do to serve these families.
Hands On Help – Elijah’s Pit Stop is an example of a local ministry where men, who enjoy working on cars, have gotten together to offer their help to people with transportation needs and limited resources. A team might develop another way of helping others with hands-on help.
Missions Teams – We have sent teams to Mexico to build homes for families there. A team might make this their goal, raising the money and then making the trip to build the home.Adopt or Build an Orphanage – The world has millions of children that lack basic provisions. Many Christian organizations, both very large and very small, have sponsored orphanages throughout the world. Local churches have built orphanages. This is not too great a task for a small team with big faith.