# How to serve as a Christian

Some people simply aren't experienced or [creative](mind-creativity.md) enough to see where people are hurting.

For that reason, here's a concise list to get the thoughts rolling.

- Statistically, your [gifts](spiritual-gifts.md) and [personality](people-personality.md) make you best-suited for *some* sort of ministry on this list.

Most healthy churches have plenty of volunteers, and they'll usually pick people who have served before.

- Many people within a church can be motivated towards self-interested purposes, so it can get complicated.
- Look *beyond* official church meetings for the greatest needs, such as community services and [para-church organizations](church-parachurch.md).

## Types of people

[Family](people-family.md) members

- Your [spouse](relationships-marriage.md)
- Your [children](parenting-children.md)

Poverty-stricken and involuntarily homeless

- Transients
- Drug [addicts](addiction-substances.md)
- [Disaster](hardship-disaster.md) victims

Inexperienced people

- New parents
- Foreigners
- Teenagers and children
- New people in a group you're in

Disabled people

- Blind
- Deaf
- Mentally disabled
- Elderly
- Temporarily sick (friend)
- Temporarily sick (stranger)
- Chronically sick and infirm

Abandoned people

- Church absentees
- Antisocial people
- Widows
- Shut-ins/home bound
- Elderly people
- Newly pregnant mothers (e.g., going to abortion clinic)
- Stay-at-home mothers
- Nursing home tenants

Organizations that serve suffering people

- Church ministries that specifically serve people
- Non-church charitable organizations

The volunteers themselves

- Pastors/elders/priests
- Lay church leadership
- [Evangelists](spiritual-exercises-evangelism.md)
- Foreign [missionaries](mgmt-church-missions.md)

## Things to try

Improve church events

- Sing loudly
- Greet/encourage people
- Work in the nursery/childcare

[Pray](spiritual-exercises-prayer.md) steadily

- For the needs of the people themselves
- For individuals' [souls and spirits](humanity.md)
- That the workers have what they need
- For blessings to the workers

Meet basic needs

- Distribute food to needy people
- Prepare food for people
- [Maintain a budget](money-3_budget.md) and give the surplus to others
- [Plant a garden](plants.md) and give the proceeds to others
- Give clothing to people
- Babysitting/childcare
- Give in-home care for a day
- [Clean someone's home](home-housekeeping.md)
- Transport people

Connect with people

- Become a [friend/mentor](people-friends.md) to someone
- Call to encourage someone
- Send cards (e.g., birthdays)
- Write letters to people
- Invite people to your home
- Have an "open house" for people
- Throw [parties](fun-parties.md) for people
- Take gifts to people (flowers, plant, food, Bible, etc.)
- Take someone out, such as to the library or park

Connect people

- Bring a young child to spend time with someone
- Have a youth group sing for someone

Create systems and events

- After-school programs (e.g., sports)
- Volunteer/need referral service
- Hotline/website for meeting needs
- Public service events
- Holiday events

Request money/resources

- Charity events (e.g., races)
- Car wash
- Food drive
- Supplies/clothes

Busywork

- Do [chores](home-housekeeping.md) and clean things up
- Admin and office work
- Transcribe, edit, and write copy
- Run errands
- Organize areas
- [Fix](https://adequate.life/fix/) things

Creating

- [Art](values-quality.md)
- [Software design](computers-programming-basics.md)
- [Engineering](engineering.md)
- Performance arts/music
- Knit/crochet/quilt
- Decorate
- Photography
- [Web design](computers-software-webdev.md)

[Educate](education.md) people

- [Bible studies](bible-study.md)
- [Write articles](language-writing.md) for others
- [Homeschooling](education-homeschool.md)
- [Spiritual discipleship](spiritual-discipleship.md)
- Read to others
- Tutoring
- Job training

## Across the world

Advertise the [persecution](hardship-persecution-church.md) rampant across the world, or get involved with a group that does already (e.g., [Voice of the Martyrs](https://www.persecution.com/)).

Cambodia has been a terrible country to live in for *decades*.

Large cities in the USA (e.g., Portland, Seattle, San Francisco) have a deluge of lifestyle transients that have destroyed its society.