Jerry Seinfeld would have made a great Young Life leader.

Can you imagine the talks he would give? “What’s the deal with forgiveness? Have you seen this? Have you heard about this?”

It’s not just the jokes Jerry would kill at. Jerry Seinfeld is really good at relationships.

For the past few months Seinfeld has been putting out a web series called “Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee.” The show is exactly what you think it is and is absolutely worth 15 minutes of your time.

Each week Jerry phones up one of his famous funny friends, picks them up in a classic car, and picks their brain over coffee.

I’ve never not laughed during an episode. The wisdom from legends of comedy like David Letterman, Larry David, and Don Rickles is valuable for anyone in entertainment, business, or even ministry.

In between the laughter and the glamour shots of Lamborghinis and latte art, what I really take away from each episode is just how simple relationships have to be.As Chris Rock put it in his chat with Jerry, “Everything is about company. A gourmet meal with an [jerk] is a horrible meal. A hot dog with an interesting person is an amazing meal.”

Jerry Seinfeld, unsurprisingly, is really comfortable at talking with people. His conversations with comedians are at once light and deep. It’s something Jerry Seinfeld has in common with Jesus.

Some of Jesus’ most memorable and important teachings took place over seemingly simple conversations walking and talking and eating dinner.

It’s easy to make ministry more complicated than it needs to be.

Ministry is not always about conversion. It isn’t always about teaching or healing. A lot of ministry is just about listening to another person’s story and earning the right to tell them yours.

As a Young Life leader reaching out to teenagers for 7 years I learned all about listening to students. It’s one of the key facets to relational ministry.

So many of my memories of Young Life are from inside the cab of my truck driving to Taco Bell with kids, listening to music, talking about life. Sometimes we’d talk about the big picture but mainly we’d just talk about movies and girls and food.

When it came time to talk about faith and doubt and God, it’s the seemingly insignificant times I had shared with students in the car or at the mall that led them to trust me with bigger questions.

Simple conversations lay the foundations for deeper relationships. Just picking up the phone and picking someone up can go a long way in showing you care.

You may not be able to tell a joke like Jerry Seinfeld. But if you have gas in your car and a few bucks for coffee in your pocket, you have the power to have an even greater impact on the world than the greatest comedian who ever lived. No contest.

Who can you call up today and take out for coffee?