What is Stephen Ministry?

Stephen Ministry provides congregations with the structure, training and resources to administer a complete system for lay caring ministry.

Stephen Ministry gives the pastor a wonderful group of “assistants” to serve the caregiving ministry of the church.  Through Stephen Ministry, lay caregivers provide one-to-one Christian care to the bereaved, hospitalized, terminally ill, separated, divorced, unemployed, relocated, and others facing a crisis or life challenge. 

Stephen Ministry helps pastors and congregations provide quality caring ministry for as long as people need it.  This is not counseling and it is not social work - it is trained Christian folks who listen and care.  Stephen Ministers are called caregivers and we consider God to be the cure-giver.

Stephen Ministers: listen, explore feelings, pray, share Christ’s love, maintain confidentiality, and attend to the caregiving process and leave the results to God. 

A Stephen Minister has only one care receiver at a time and the care is gender specific (men with men and women with women). 

Stephen Ministry is a way to equip the saints to minister to one another.  It is, yet another very effective ministry of the church.