What is Stephen Ministry?
- The Stephen Ministry Program is a complete system for training and organizing laypeople to assist pastors in providing essential confidential, one-on-one, emotional and spiritual support to those who are hurting within congregations and communities.
- Stephen Ministers are fully trained to provide one-on-one, confidential, distinctly Christian care to individuals facing life challenges.
Stephen Ministers come from all walks of life, but they all share a passion for bringing Christ’s love and care to people during a time of need.
Since 1975, more than 600,000 people from more than 13,000 congregations and other organizations have been trained as Stephen Ministers.
These are some examples (but not all) of the types of situations where Stephen Ministers are trained to serve:
- Grief
- Pregnancy
- Financial stress
- Divorce
- Empty nest
- Relocation
- Job loss
- Parenting challenges
- Newly retired
- Medical crisis
- Aging issues
- Caregiver stress
- Spiritual crisis
- Job stress
- Chronic health issues
- Infertility
- Unemployment
The Blessings of Stephen Ministry:
- Stephen Ministry multiplies blessings throughout the church and community.
- Congregations carry out Christ’s commandment to “Love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12 RSV) in a powerful and practical way.
- Pastors have a team of gifted, trained, and committed lay caregivers ready to minister to hurting people. (Find more details for pastors here.)
- Laypeople nurture and use their gifts in meaningful ministry, growing spiritually as they serve others.
- People who are hurting have a caring Christian presence to provide emotional and spiritual support.
- In short, Stephen Ministry helps carry out the mission of the church.
Stephen Ministers offer to walk alongside a hurting person and:
- Commit to confidentiality
- Show compassion
- Experience empathy
- Provide spiritual and emotional support
- Show up on a regular one-on-one and face-to-face basis (usually weekly)
- Like Jesus, offer grace-based acceptance
They do this by:
- Listening
- Caring
- Sitting in silence, if needed
- Praying (but only as appropriate—if requested or agreed to by the Care Receiver)
- Encouraging, but not pushing
- Being consistent and showing up
- And definitely not judging!
Stephen Minister Training
The Stephen Minister Training Course (SMTC)…
- teaches principles and skills that equip you to provide high-quality, Christ-centered emotional and spiritual care to others.
- gives you new insight into the thoughts, feelings, and actions of people who are hurting.
- equips you with relational and caring skills you can apply to all aspects of your life.
- helps deepen your faith as the Holy Spirit fashions you into a Christ-centered caregiver.
- builds a special bond of Christian community and camaraderie among all those in your class.
- is highly interactive, engaging, and a lot of fun!
If you’d like to learn more, click the button below: