Stephen Ministry is a one-to-one lay caring ministry providing high-quality, confidential, Christ-centered care to people who are hurting.
“Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2)
How Stephen Ministry Works
God works through Stephen Ministers to plant a seed of hope and healing in a person whose life seems barren and forlorn because of a crisis or tragedy.
Stephen Ministry involves three groups of people:
- Care Receivers
- Stephen Ministers
- Stephen Leaders
Care Receivers
Care receivers are people struggling through a difficult time in life—grief, divorce, job loss, chronic/terminal illness, or other life crisis.
The caring relationship between a care receiver and a Stephen Minister is confidential.
To protect both the care receiver and the Stephen Minister, 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 resources.
Stephen Ministers
Stephen Ministers are congregation members trained by Stephen Leaders to offer high-quality, one-to-one Christian care to people going through tough times.
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.
Stephen Leaders
Stephen Leaders establish and direct Stephen Ministry in a congregation. They —
- build awareness of Stephen Ministry within the congregation and community
- recruit and train Stephen Ministers
- meet with potential care receivers to assess their needs
- match care receivers with Stephen Ministers
- provide Stephen Ministers with ongoing supervision and continuing education
Stephen Leaders attend a one-week training conference that introduces the resources used to lead Stephen Ministry, develops key skills, and gets people excited about this caring ministry.
