About Stephen Ministry
What is Stephen Ministry?
Stephen Ministry is grounded in Jesus’ command to love one another. Through one-to-one caring and confidential relationships, those who are hurting receive the love and care they need to support them.
What is Stephen Ministry for?
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What Does Stephen Ministry Provide?
Someone who cares, supports, listens and shares.
Who Can Benefit?
Anyone going through difficult times who needs someone to care, listen, and share God’s love with them on a one-to-one confidential basis.
Where Did It All Start?
Stephen Ministry has been around since 1975, when Kenneth Haugk, a pastor and clinical psychologist, began to multiply the caregiving in his congregation in St. Louis, Missouri. We have had Stephen Ministry here at FUMC since 1984 and are one of more than 7,000 Stephen Ministry congregations.
What is a Stephen Minister?
A Stephen Minister is…
- a child of God who walks beside a hurting person;
- a caring Christian friend who really listens;
- a lay person who has received 50 hours of training in how to provide distinctively Christian care.
Training
Through its trained Stephen Leaders, the congregation supplies Stephen Ministers 50 hours of training for this ministry before they are assigned a care receiver, and further supplies continuing education twice monthly as long as the Stephen Ministers serve. The training is comprehensive, and Stephen Ministers can feel confident in their skills for this ministry.
Commissioning
The congregation formally commissions Stephen Ministers at one or ore worship services. This allows the community to recognize their efforts, affirm and support their ministry, and pray for them as they begin their caring ministry.
Supervision
Small Group Peer Supervision provides Stephen Ministers with encouragement and assures that no Stephen Minister will ever have to carry the responsibility for his or her care receiver all alone.
Participate in Twice-Monthly Supervision and Continuing Education Sessions
Stephen Ministers participate faithfully in Small Group Peer Supervision and continuing education, coming prepared to every supervision session unless illness or emergency makes attendance impossible. Supervision provides Stephen Ministers with support, guidance, and accountability for their caring relationships. There are no unsupervised Stephen Ministers.