What Is Stephen Ministry?
Stephen Ministry offers a proven and effective way to organize, equip, and supervise a team of congregation members—called Stephen Ministers—to provide high-quality, one-to-one, Christ-centered care to people in the congregation and the community experiencing life difficulties.
Who’s Involved in Stephen Ministry?
Stephen Leaders are church staff, lay leaders, and pastors trained to provide ongoing leadership for their congregation’s Stephen Ministry. They are equipped for this key role through the Bridge Leader’s Training Course offered by Stephen Ministries St. Louis. Mafair’s Stephen Leader is Ray Johnson.
Stephen Ministers are congregation members trained by their Stephen Leaders to offer care to people who are hurting. A Stephen Minister typically has one care receiver at a time and meets with that person once a week for about an hour.
Care receivers are individuals in the congregation or community who are going through a crisis or life difficulty. Potential care receivers first meet with a pastor or Stephen Leader, who assesses their needs for care and matches them with a Stephen Minister. The caring relationship lasts for as long as the need persists.
Stephen Minister Training
Stephen Minister training is an engaging, energizing experience that features a mixture of presentation, video, group discussion, skill practice, and spiritual growth activities. Since 1975, more than 600,000 Stephen Ministers have been equipped with this training to provide care to millions of people.
Stephen Minister training . . .
- 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!
For more information on becoming a Stephen Minister, please get in touch with our leadership team at stephenministry@mafairumc.org.
Stephen Ministry Care Receivers
Who might receive care from a Stephen Minister? Care receivers may be hospitalized, grieving the death of a loved one, separated or divorcing, homebound, unemployed, adjusting to the birth of a child, or experiencing many other kinds of life difficulties. They may be members of our church, or friends, neighbors, and co-workers without any church home.
Are you, or is someone you know, going through a time of crisis or challenge? The care of a Stephen Minister may be exactly what’s needed to help bring Christ’s healing. If you have questions about Stephen Ministry at Mafair, talk with Pastor Adam or our Stephen Leader, Ray Johnson. Consider whether you know of someone who needs their care, and offer to connect them to this ministry.