Ministry: Stephen Ministry

STEPHEN MINISTRY - A completely updated and revised Stephen Ministry program is coming to Epiphany Lutheran Church. Stephen Ministry is a lay care giving ministry that helps pastors give ongoing care to those in crisis or a life changing event. As the pastor has to move on to the next crisis, the Stephen Minister meets with an assigned care receiver once per week for an hour to listen and pray with and for them. The meetings are STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL. The only people in the church who know who is receiving care are the Stephen Minister, care receiver, and one Stephen Leader. Care receivers meet with the Stephen Minister for as long as they need them. They will decide together when to end the care giving relationship. The Stephen Ministers are given 50 hours of training and attend supervision meetings twice per month. They understand the need for confidentiality. If you feel the call to help others on a one to one basis, please fill out an application or see or call Carolyn Heinz (294-7680), Roger Wright (353-3848) or Sandy Smart (885-5522). Training Classes begin in January. If you have an application, please fill it out and return to a Leader ASAP. You can get an application on the Stephen Ministry Kiosk, in the church office, or click here to print out the application.

The Stephen Series is a complete system for training and organizing lay people to provide one-to-one Christian care to hurting people in and around your congregation.

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) in the congregation. In Stephen Ministry congregations, lay caregivers (called Stephen Ministers) 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.

Who Benefits from Stephen Ministry ?

What are Stephen Ministers ?

What do Stephen Ministers do ? 

What are Care Receivers ? 

Most Commonly Asked Questions

Want to be a Stephen Minister ?

Who Benefits from Stephen Ministry ? 

     People Who Need Care . . .

• Receive quality, Christ-centered, confidential care for their hurts and needs 
• Find hope, healing, and a new sense of self-worth through the support of a Stephen Minister 
• Know they are remembered and supported by their congregation in times of personal difficulty 
• Receive ongoing care for continuing needs long after the onset of a crisis, when many others have forgotten about them 
• Grow in a deeper relationship with their Lord as they experience God's unconditional love for them through their Stephen Minister 

     Your Pastors . . .

• No longer shoulder the entire burden of caring in the congregation, as if the pastor were the only one able, willing, or called to do this ministry 
• Receive support and care from the lay people who are part of the congregation's Stephen Ministry Team 
• Reach more members of the congregation with quality Christian care 
• Experience renewed joy and satisfaction as they equip others and so extend the reach of their own ministries 
• Have more time to focus on the ministries that only the pastor can do 

     Your Lay People . . .

• Discover, cultivate, and use the spiritual gifts they have been blessed with 
• See themselves as active partners in the mission and ministry of the church 
• Find all aspects of their lives enriched by the distinctively Christian caregiving skills they learn and practice 
• Experience great joy as they see God working through them to bring hope and healing to a hurting person 
• Grow spiritually as they experience the Lord's loving presence in community with other Christian caregivers 

     Your Entire Congregation . . .

• Discovers that many members want to be involved in meaningful ministry and will respond to the call to become a Stephen Minister or Stephen Leader 
• Becomes a more loving community that is more sensitive and responsive to people's needs for care 
• Is able to provide more quality Christian care, so that fewer people slip through the cracks 
• Is able to reach out to the unchurched who are hurting and introduce them to the healing love of Jesus in their time of need 
• Sees itself as not only being served by the pastor, but as a caring body of believers actively involved in serving one another in love 

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What are Stephen Ministers ?

• Lay Christian Caregivers 
• Fully Trained 
• Trustworthy 
• Compassionate 
• Supervised by Stephen Leaders and Peers

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What do Stephen Ministers do ? 

• Pray with and for Care Receivers 
• Meet with Care Receivers 1 hour per week 
• Maintain Confidentiality 
• Actively listen to Care Receiver’s burdens 
• Share resources 
• Gives God all control 
• Supports and Encourages their Care Receiver 
• Does NOT TRY to “FIX” Care Receiver 

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What are Care Receivers ?

• Can be any adult facing difficulty in life 
• In a crises or just stressed:
  –  Empty Nest 
  –  Birth 
  –  Death of Loved One 
  –  Divorce 
  –  Long Term Care 
  –  Illness 
  –  Sin 
  –  Guilt 
  –  Grief 
  –  Dying 
  –  Hospitalization 
  –  Retirement 
  –  Financial Difficulties 
  –  Estrangement from Family or Friends 
• Or someone who just needs a compassionate person to listen to them 

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Most Commonly Asked Questions

1) What is the purpose of Stephen Ministry ?
    –  To assist Pastors with care giving for ongoing problems when the pastor has to move on to the next crises
    –  Maintain ongoing care giving
2) Who knows I’m receiving a Stephen Minister ?
    –  Only your Stephen Minister and a Stephen Leader
3) How does peer supervision work ?
    –  Stephen Ministers meet two times a month and share small amounts of information and their feelings with other Stephen Ministers. The information shared is not enough for other Stephen Ministers to identify the Care Receivers
    –  Focus is on Stephen Ministers feelings and care, not on the Care Receiver
    –  Stephen Minister asks group for feedback on their issues
4) How long will the relationship between the Stephen Minister and Care Receiver last ?
    –  As long as it needs to last
    –  Stephen Minister and Care Receiver agree when closure is appropriate
5) Can I tell someone who my Stephen Minister is ?
    –  Sure, but your Stephen Minister can’t confirm or deny it
6) Can my Stephen Minister and I remain friends after the closure ?
    –  Yes
7) How can I get a Stephen Minister ?
    –  Contact a Pastor, an Office Staff member, or a Stephen Leader for a referral 

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Want to be a Stephen Minister ?

Click HERE and print out the Stephen Minister Application form, complete it and turn it into the Church office.