What is it?
Stephen Ministry is a ministry in our congregation in which trained and supervised lay persons, called Stephen Ministers, provide one-to-one Christian care to individuals facing life challenges. They are not counselors. Their role is to listen and care - not to give advice or counsel. Confidentiality is one of the most important principles of Stephen Ministry, and Stephen Ministers are people you can trust.
Why the name Stephen?
The name Stephen comes from St. Stephen, who was the first lay person commissioned by the apostles to provide caring ministry to those in need as recorded in Acts 6.
What's the Pastor's role?
Pastors will always be the primary caregivers, but they are unable to meet all the needs of everyone. God has called all of us, not just pastors, to minister to one another. Stephen Ministers multiply care to others.
Where did it all start?
Stephen Ministry has been around since 1975, when Kenneth Haugk, a pastor and clinical psychologist, began it to multiply the caregiving in his congregation in St. Louis, Missouri. More than 7,000 congregations from 90 denominations have Stephen Ministry programs.
What is the time commitment for a Stephen Minister?
Stephen Ministers receive 50 hours of training that provides them with skills for caregiving and is also useful in other areas of their lives. Our classes are offered every other year. The Stephen Minister meets with their care receiver weekly for about one hour and participates in twice monthly supervisory meetings with other Stephen Ministers and the Stephen Leaders. The Stephen Minister is asked to make a two year commitment to the ministry. At the end of this time, they can continue longer, resign or take a period of time off and return later.
How do I get involved?
If you know of someone who needs a Stephen Minister or if you would like one yourself or want more information, contact one of our pastors or Stephen Leaders, Joan Gillard at dgillard@cox.net, Denise Dancy at denise.m.dancy@gmail.com or Jacque Scholl at jacquescholl@earthlink.net.