Stephen Ministers

Stephen Ministers are laypeople:  Christian men and women-trained to provide one-to-one care to people experiencing a difficult time in life, such as grief, divorce, job loss, chronic or terminal illness, relocation, or separation due to military deployment.

Stephen Ministers come from all walks of life. Their commonality?  A passion for bringing Christ’s love and care to people during a time of need.

A Stephen Minister usually provides care to one person at a time, meeting with that person once a week for about an hour. Twice a month, Stephen Ministers gather with their Stephen Leaders for supervision and continuing education.
What Is Stephen Ministry?

Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2, NRSV).

Stephen Ministry is the one-to-one lay caring ministry that takes place in congregations that use the Stephen Series system.

Stephen Ministry congregations equip and empower lay caregivers, called Stephen Ministers, to provide high-quality, confidential, Christ-centered care to people who are hurting.

How Stephen Ministry Works

The best way to understand how Stephen Ministry works is to learn about three groups of people involved in this ministry:

Stephen Leaders, Stephen Ministers, and care receivers.
          Stephen Leaders

Stephen Leaders are pastors, other church
staff, and lay leaders who direct Stephen Ministry in the congregation.

Stephen Leaders establish and direct Stephen Ministry in a congregation. They
build awareness of Stephen Ministry within the congregation and community.
Stephen Leaders recruit and train Stephen Ministers, meet with potential care receivers to assess their needs, and match care receivers with Stephen Ministers.  They also provide Stephen Ministers with ongoing supervision and continuing education

People learn to serve as Stephen Leaders by attending a Leader’s Training Course-a one-week conference that introduces the resources used to lead Stephen Ministry, develops key skills, and gets people excited about this caring ministry.
           Care Receivers

Care receivers are people, congregation members and others in the community, who receive care from a Stephen Minister. These are people struggling through a difficult time in life; experiencing grief, divorce, job loss, chronic or terminal illness, or some other life crisis.

Some important guidelines for this caring relationship protect both the care receiver and the Stephen Minister:

The relationship between a care receiver and a Stephen Minister is confidential.

Men are matched with men; women with women.

When a care receiver’s needs exceed what a Stephen Minister can provide, the Stephen Ministry team makes a referral to an appropriate mental health professional or other community resource.
Why the name Stephen?

In the book of Acts, chapter 6, Stephen was chosen to provide caring ministry to those in need. Since the time of the Apostles, caring ministry has been considered a hallmark of the Christian faith community.

Do Stephen Ministers care for people outside a congregation?

Yes. Stephen Ministers often provide care for people in the broader community-relatives, friends, and coworkers of congregation members; nonmembers whom the congregation serves, as well as military personnel and their families.
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