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Choose a ministry opportunity that fits your gifts and meets real needs. These five principles emphasize humble service, empowering others, and working faithfully without recognition. Examples of past student projects illustrate possible places to serve. Service learning connects academic study with practical service and reflection.
"We have different gifts, according to the grace given us." -- Romans 12:6 (NIV, excerpt)
A major requirement of the Ministry, Church and Society course at Southern Nazarene University was giving at least eight hours of service to a ministry project. Even if you are not taking that course, as a believer, you should serve the Kingdom in some way. These guidelines can help you find a place of service that fits your gifts.
"Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." -- Matthew 20:26-28 (NIV)
Are you searching for a place to get plugged in? Follow these five principles.
Such behind-the-scenes jobs are more likely to need your help than tasks everyone already knows about and feels they can do.
Is there something you can do to empower other people in their ministries? Can you help others find opportunities to serve and help a church or ministry organization put its vision into practice?
Look for ministries that meet real needs and make a meaningful difference in people's lives, including those that receive little publicity.
Check them out. Do not approach ministry carelessly and expect God to make up for inadequate preparation. Ministry can mean making yourself vulnerable. It can mean sacrificial giving of yourself.
Front-line activity suffers if supply lines are not kept in good shape. Are there things you can do to free up others from routine, time-consuming, repetitive tasks?
Be willing to let others tackle the headline-grabbing tasks.
Adapted from material in the Mission Frontiers Bulletin
"Everybody can be great because everybody can serve. You don't have to have
a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You
don't have to know Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don't have to know Einstein's theory of
relativity to serve. You don't have to know the second law of thermodynamics to serve. You only
need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love"
— Martin Luther King, Jr.
"Now that I have built relationships, this is an essential part of my week. I don't even see it as volunteer service. It's more like spending time with my friends." — Katie Tate
"There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord." -- 1 Corinthians 12:4-5 (NIV)
Past Ministry, Church and Society students served at the following churches, organizations, and programs. This historical list illustrates the variety of possible service opportunities.
"So often I hear of people who are serving, but when they don't get the recognition or the 'warm fuzzies' they expected, they get frustrated and even bitter. It is so important to understand that when we are serving it is never about us, our needs, our desires, or us being honored for our service. It is about loving others as ourselves, the way Jesus taught us." -- Betsy Stuetze, youth pastor
Southern Nazarene University offers liberal arts education within the parameters of a Christian worldview. Some of what that means is captured by the initial question and answer of the 1647 Westminster Shorter Catechism: "Question: What is the chief end of man? Answer: A man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever."
The conviction at SNU is that such glorifying of God is best done, not through cloistered living in an isolated bubble, but through active involvement in ministry and service. As John Wesley said, "The gospel of Christ knows . . . of no holiness but social holiness." Wesley's emphasis on social holiness reminds us that Christian growth takes place in community. Love for God also finds expression in love for others through ministry and service. That concept of active involvement complements SNU's educational philosophy that views hands-on learning as an important partner of classroom instruction.
SNU's goal of developing responsible Christian persons extends beyond passing theology and ministry courses. Students are encouraged to put their learning into practice through local and global service, whether through coursework or co-curricular activities.
"Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms." -- 1 Peter 4:10 (NIV)
Service learning combines academic study with community service and structured reflection. Students apply classroom learning to real needs while developing practical skills, empathy, and social responsibility.
Is your study group struggling? Difficult group members