What Does a Stephen Minister Do?
Hear Jamie's Story about how Stephen Ministry has impacted her life
What is Stephen Ministry?
Stephen Ministry is a distinctively Christian caring ministry. Our pastors, elders, and laypeople, trained Stephen Ministers, work together to provide high-quality, one-to-one care to people who are experiencing a wide range of life challenges or crises.
Stephen Ministry also trains and equips compassionate laypeople to provide this confidential care to hurting individuals in our congregation or community who are experiencing difficulties in their lives. Stephen Ministry provides the opportunity for our members who are strong in their faith and who desire to share Christ’s healing love and care to serve as a Stephen Minister.
A Stephen Minister is...
- A child of God who is called to care for people who need support and encouragement.
- A church member who is carefully selected to serve in this role because of his or her care-giving gifts.
- A layperson who has taken 50 hours of specialized training to provide high-quality, distinctively Christian care to individuals.
- A caring, trained Christian care giver who listens, supports, encourages and prays for his or her care receiver faithfully on a weekly basis for as long as needed.
Who benefits from a Stephen Minister's Care?
We ALL experience challenges in life--times when we can benefit from the support and encouragement of caring people. Stephen Ministers provide the emotional and spiritual care we need when faced with a new or difficult situation, challenge, or crisis, such as:
- Loss of a loved one, recently or in the past
- Hospitalization and illness
- Divorce, separation, or relational problems with family or friends
- Loneliness or discouragement
- Spiritual unrest, distress or crisis
- Unemployment or job crisis
- Terminal illness
- Incarceration of family or friends
- Aging and changes it can bring
- Birth, adoption, miscarriage, or infertility
- Chronic illness
- Relocation
- Recovery from an accident, surgery, illness or disaster
- Other life challenges
Could YOU or someone you know possibly benefit from the care of a Stephen Minister?
If your answer to this question is YES or MAYBE, please call the church office at 254-848-7200 to connect with a Stephen Ministry Leader to determine if Stephen Ministry is appropriate for you or a friend.
Are you interested in becoming a Stephen Minister?
Plan to attend an interest meeting to learn more about serving as a Stephen Minister and the training, time commitment, and responsibilities involved. Call the church office at 254-848-7200 or click the link below to go to our SERVE page for more information.
