stephenministries.org

Christ Caring for People through People

History of Stephen Ministry

In Acts 6:1-7, Stephen is identified as one of the first laypersons set aside to do caring ministry. Kenneth Haugk, an ordained minister and clinical psychologist, picked Stephen as the emblem for the lay caregiving program he started in 1975 to meet the needs of his own congregation. He is the executive director of Stephen Ministries St. Louis.

The Stephen Series is now in more than 7,500 congregations from 100 denominations, in all 50 states, nine Canadian provinces and 20 other countries. More than 40,000 pastors, church staff and laypersons have been trained as Stephen Leaders and nearly 300,000 people have trained as Stephen Ministers in their congregations. An estimated 750,000 people have received the care of a Stephen Minister.

Stephen Ministers do all the following:

Stephen Ministers have the following responsibilities:

How Do You Refer Someone to Stephen Ministry?

Mr. David Bork is the contact person at Trinity. If you feel more comfortable talking with one of our Stephen Ministers, you can do that also and they will relay the information to the Stephen Leader or the pastors.

There are two important steps to remember when referring someone to Stephen Ministry.

The First Step is to first seek the person's permission. If you know of people who need care, talk to them first. Tell them you care about them, you see their need, and ask whether they would like you to put them in touch with our Stephen Ministry. If they are unfamiliar with Stephen Ministry, you can simply explain that it is a ministry which seeks to provide care to someone going through a difficult time. If they are agreeable, you would then contact one of those people listed above.

Sometimes the person might say he or she will contact the pastor or Stephen Leader him/herself. This is perfectly appropriate. In this instance, though, you will want to follow up with the person in a caring way to see whether he or she has made contact and encourage him or her to do so if not.

The Second step is to remember as you make a referral is never to promise a Stephen Minister. There are some instances when no Stephen Ministers are available, or when some other type of care is more appropriate. So when you suggest Stephen Ministry, let them know that the pastor or Stephen Leader will help meet their need for care in some way, though it may not be with a Stephen Minister.

How can you avail yourself of Stephen Ministry?

As you prayerfully support Stephen Ministry, we hope you will also pray that you yourself might be open to receiving the care of a Stephen Minister, should the need ever arise. A tendency of our society today is to be self-sufficient. People often see needing help as a sign of weakness. From a Biblical standpoint, nothing is farther form the truth. Paul did not write, "Bear other's burdens"; he wrote "Bear one another's burdens" (Galatians 6:2) He isn't just asking you to care for other people. He's also asking you to let other people care for you. When you have a need, Jesus doesn't expect or want you to bear it alone. He wants you to bring that need to others so that they can help bear it with you.

Some of the Needs that Stephen Ministers Address