According to most professional organizers and efficiency experts, we can accomplish a lot in 10 minutes. We can pay bills online, clean out the car trunk, or schedule a dental appointment. We can answer a colleague's email or make progress on a big project by tackling a bite-size task. Here's what we don't understand though: If we can learn to use every spare minute on the job or at home, then why do we struggle with finding time for serving others?
We may be tempted to postpone ministry tasks until we have big chunks of time available, assuming we'll have more time at night or on the weekends, but I've learned those big chunks of time can be elusive fantasies. They never materialize, and we spend weeks and months waiting for more time and never making headway in our ministries. Why not make the choice to do ministry during the snippets of down time between daily activities? We may not achieve flawless ministry in 10 or 15 minutes, but for most of us, some ministry is always better than none.
Take 10 minutes for prayer
It's been said that the quickest way anywhere is through the heart of God in prayer. So prayer is a great option if we're looking for time-effective ways to minister. Intercessory prayer requires no specific supplies or preparation. We simply turn our hearts toward the Father.
Open your phone's contact list and pray for those on your list — five each day.
Read through a church or class prayer list and pray for two needs at the bottom of the list. (When people run out of prayer time, those needs are often overlooked.)
Call or write your youth pastor and ask for the names of teens in need of prayer.
Pick one class or small group at your church and pray for the spiritual growth of the teacher and members.
Look at last Sunday's bulletin or your church's website and pray for an upcoming church event.
Pray for the school teachers in your congregation (public, private, and home school).
Ask the church office staff for a list of strategic volunteer vacancies so you can add them to your prayer list.
Text a prayer need or update to five praying church members.
Find a current missionary prayer request on the website of the International Mission Board or the North American Mission Board.
Take 10 minutes for encouragement
Anyone can be an encourager. We don't need a particular spiritual gift; we don't need to take a course or read a book. We need only a desire to love the people God loves. Though most of us acknowledge encouragement's role in building fellowship and a sense of community, we often underestimate — and underutilize — the power of a few encouraging words.
Leave an upbeat greeting on a church member's voice mail or answering machine.
Write an anonymous “I'm praying for your group” note on five pieces of paper. On Sunday, arrive early and post the notes in the appropriate rooms.
Add an encouraging Bible verse or quote to your electronic signature for emails.
Tell your wife how much you value her partnership in ministry. Be specific about what she does to help.
Write a short appreciation note to a church musician. Tuck it in your Bible so you can leave the note by the person's instrument before worship.
Ask a children's teacher about next Sunday's lesson topic, and promise to pray for his or her class that day.
Acknowledge the tenacity of a volunteer who continues serving despite medical or family hardships.
Take 10 Minutes for personal ministry
How many people in your church are going through difficult times? Our empathy for their struggles may mean little if we don't express it in words or deeds.
Invite a single parent and his or her family to join your family for a weekend meal.
Write a comforting note to someone who recently lost a loved one.
Mark the dates of a friend's cancer treatments on your calendar. Check on him or her afterward.
Call a hospitalized or shut-in church member.
Offer to provide a meal or handle a chore for someone caring for a spouse with Alzheimer's.
Make plans to meet a new believer for coffee.
Pick up a grocery store gift card to share with a family facing hard times.
Offer free babysitting to a couple with young kids.
Take 10 minutes for staff support
If we're not careful, we can begin measuring a pastor's value by attendance and successful ministries. Yet in Christ's eyes, every minister is, first and foremost, a cherished child of God in need of our love and encouragement. Many people go farther than they thought because someone else believed they could do it and told them so.
Set a daily alarm on your phone to remind you to thank God for your church staff.
Write your pastor about one way you applied a recent sermon to your life circumstances.
Identify your favorite new song from a recent worship service, and tell the music pastor why you like the song.
Send a "thanks for all you do" message to a church custodian or child care worker.
Call a pastor's wife and ask about her job or ministries and how you can pray.
Affirm a pastor's years of service at a time other than his anniversary or during the month of October.
This article originally appeared in Deacon Magazine.