In this month's Ensign (the LDS monthly magazine for adults) there was an article about how we can minister to each other. In this article, Sister Allred defines our roll as ministers to each other as:
Observe and anticipate needs. For instance, if a sister you visit has an upcoming test at school, perhaps you could make her dinner sometime during the week so she can have more study time. If the brother you home teach is looking for a job, introduce him to people who might be able to help.
There were other sections in the article about praying with them and watching over their spirituality, but for ministering she said that looking over and acting on the individual needs of people is what it is all about.
When thinking about angel's in the scriptures who ministered, I found that they too were looking out for specific needs. When Gabriel visited Mary, he had a specific message to give her and specific comfort to give. It was not just a random visit to give a practiced, generalized message about spirituality. This is also true of the angel who visited Alma after he was kicked out of Ammoninhah for preaching the gospel. He needed a pick-me-up and some specific encouragement, not a random quote from a past prophet about being good.
When we minister to each other, it is not just the service or the teaching, it is really paying attention to an individual need and doing our best to address it. God's kingdom may be a community, but it is a community of individuals who have needs that God expects us to meet as best we can.
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