What is a Stephen Minister?
Stephen Ministers are laypeople trained in the congregation by their Stephen Leaders to provide one-to-one Christ-centered care to hurting people. These are people with a compassionate heart who’ve been equipped with the skills to listen, encourage, and offer support when someone is in need. A Stephen Minister typically has one care receiver at a time and meets with that person once a week.
Would you like to become a Stephen Minister or learn more about the Stephen Ministry program?
A new Stephen Ministry training session will be starting in September. If you would like to participate in this program or would like more information about Stephen Ministry, plan to attend an information session on Sunday, August 10 at either 9:45am or 11:00am in the Parish Commons Classroom.
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The Stephen Series provides congregations with the structure, training, and resources to set up and administer a complete system for lay caring ministry, called “Stephen Ministry”. The Stephen Ministers provide one-to-one Christian care to the bereaved, hospitalized, terminally ill, separated, divorced, unemployed, relocated, and others facing a crisis of life challenge. Stephen Ministers typically are assigned one care receiver at a time and meet with that person for about one hour each week. Stephen Ministers usually serve for two years, which includes an initial 50 hours of training followed by twice-monthly supervision and continuing education sessions. Stephen Ministry helps pastors and congregations provide quality caring ministry for as long as people need it.