"Pastor Phil doesn't care about me." Those words hurt today as I write them as much as they did 15 years ago when I first heard them. I don't sit in my office scheming ways to offend others. I am a pastor. I want to help people and not hurt them.

But after the third comment about “Pastor Phil not caring” I did a personal review. I observed one common thread in all three complaints. Each of the three offended had been standing in a crowded church corridor between services and I rushed past them in hurry to get to where I was going. My lack of eye contact and greeting was taken as a personal affront. My heart cared, but my body language didn't reveal it. I learned that day that some of the most important ministry happens not from the pulpit but in the hallway.

Significant ministry often happens serendipitously on a pastor's way to doing something important. Flip through the Gospels and see that most of Jesus' miracles started with an interruption while the Lord was either in the middle of something or on his way to an appointment. Jesus always had time for people. Christ seemed relaxed with intrusions into his busy schedule. That sense of poise in public places must have stemmed from the Son of God's confidence that the Father ultimately scheduled his time. If there were an interruption, there must be a purpose and somehow the Father would see that there would be time for all that mattered.

Interruptions are one way God gets his work done through spiritual leaders. The Lord has no problem interrupting our agenda to nudge us onto his timetable. When we take time for people along the way we come closer to God's call and purpose for our ministry. Making time for people is never a waste of time; it is an investment in an eternal human being.

Here's what I learned the day I pondered the opinion of my critics.

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Take time walking through public places. For the average person travel time is measured in feet travelled. A pastor, however, measures travel time not by distance but by the number of people standing between he and his destination. A 50-foot walk can take a leader 20 minutes if his people are along the way, because each person deserves a little time. Instead of being frustrated with that, a pastor should strategically plan ahead for people time.

In public places, spiritual leaders should exude a sense of having all the time in the world, even though the clock is ticking inside. Why? Because by and large, most people interpret a pastor on the fly as personal rejection. It is a given that people will assume that a person in a hurry, who brushes by, does not care and is uninterested. That is not a pastor's heart, but that is what people will feel. The only personal time the average church member may have with his pastor is his time between the office and the platform. The brush by may last three seconds, but how those seconds are used can make a difference that can last for years in a person's life.

If it takes 5 minutes to walk to the car, plan 15 so there is time to enjoy people along the way. Can a pastor focus on task? Absolutely, he needs to if he wants to make an impact, but those busy times should be kept out of public view. In hectic times, work from home or with a guarded door. But once in the hallway a pastor should relax, breath deep, trust God's timetable, smile, and take time for the people God loves very much.

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Listen with patience and silence. Wayne Cordeiro, who leads a church of 14,000, said once to me, "Phil, I would rather take time to listen to one person and have 30 people walk by thinking that I'm a good pastor than to shake 30 hands and have people think I'm a great politician." Few people have been listened to in life. Each person we meet is a fascinating story waiting to be heard. True communication does not start with speaking but with listening. Ask questions and be comfortable with the silence while others form an answer. It is daunting sometimes for a person who has seen the pastor from the back row to communicate face-to-face. So ask follow up questions and intoxicate others with laughter.

If you want to be interesting to those who hear you, be interested in them. When problems surface, pray on the spot. Prayer in person far exceeds the value of a prayer behind closed doors. If the problems become to complex for the hallway, make an appointment. Or if the line is too long, invite leaders in your church to stay close with you after service. When needs surface, introduce the person in need to someone who can help. Follow up phone calls and little notes are one of the best ways to reveal that the pastor has a listening ear.

There is one huge spin off from a pastor who takes time to listen: his people will make time for each other. His life becomes a model that others follow. Before long, the dependence is not on one shepherd, but on each other.

When I think about taking time for ministry in hallways I remember the two Oxford dons who were strolling across campus. One of the two professors greeted each student who passed by. The other lecturer looked down his nose and said, "Why do you bother to greet them? They are just students!"  But the other professor said with a twinkle in his eye, "This University has produced some of Britain's greatest prime ministers. I never know if the person I pass may one day set my salary." The people we pass are eternally interesting and yield rewards with our interest.

Look into the eyes and lives of people. A young cowboy came to the old rancher for advice. His cattle were dying. The old hand asked, "What are you doing with them?"

The young buck boasted, "Well, I count 'em at night as they walk in the barn."

"That's your problem," the old cowpoke said. "I don't count the cattle, I look 'em in the eye."

It may last for less than a heartbeat, but one meaningful look by a pastor walking across a room full of people can make an eternal difference in one human life.

When walking through a crowded hallway, make eye contact with each person you meet. Smile, greet, and touch, if only for a fleeting moment. When you shake hands, use both hands, with one patting the shoulder or grasping the arm while the right hand does the shake. That little bit of skin surface can communicate more than words. When meeting parents and their children, always get down at knee level and give a high five to the little ones. Parents will listen to you if you take time for their children. When we take time to look deeply we just might spot the sickness of the soul and save a sheep from death.

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by Phil McCallum