Stephen Ministry
We are starting a new ministry at St. Jerome, it’s called Stephen Ministry. It’s named after St. Stephen who lived around the time of Jesus, and was one of the first Deacons of the Christian Church. His primary mission was one of service and preaching.
What Is Stephen Ministry?
Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2).
Stephen Ministry is the one-to-one lay caring ministry that takes place in congregations that use the Stephen Series system.
Stephen Ministry congregations equip and empower lay caregivers—called Stephen Ministers—to provide high-quality, confidential, Christ-centered care to people who are hurting. Stephen Ministers are parishioners that are trained by Stephen Leaders to offer Christian care to people going through life challenges such as loss of a loved one, divorce, chronic or terminal illness and other difficulties.
The Blessings of Stephen Ministry
Stephen Ministry multiplies blessings throughout the church and community.
• Congregations receive a practical and powerful way to respond to Christ’s commandment: “Love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12 RSV).
• Pastors have a team of gifted, trained, and committed lay caregivers ready to minister to hurting people. • Laypeople nurture and use their gifts in meaningful ministry, growing spiritually as they serve others.
• People who are hurting have a compassionate companion—a caring Christian friend who provides emotional and spiritual support.
Stephen Ministry Is Built to Last
You’ll find Stephen Ministry in congregations from more than 180 Christian denominations, across the U.S. and Canada and in 30 other countries. Stephen Ministry is built to last—going strong for over 20 or even 30 years in hundreds of congregations.
Since Stephen Ministries was founded in 1975:
• More than 13,000 congregations have enrolled in the Stephen Series. • More than 75,000 pastors and lay leaders from those congregations have been equipped at Leader’s Training Courses.
• More than 600,000 laypeople have received Stephen Minister training
How Stephen Ministry Works
The best way to understand how Stephen Ministry works is to learn about three groups of people involved in this ministry: Stephen Leaders, Stephen Ministers, and care receivers.
Stephen Leaders
Stephen Leaders establish and direct Stephen Ministry in a congregation. They—
• build awareness of Stephen Ministry within the congregation and community
• recruit and train Stephen Ministers
• meet with potential care receivers to assess their needs
• match care receivers with Stephen Ministers
• provide Stephen Ministers with ongoing supervision and continuing education
Stephen Ministers
Stephen Ministers are congregation members trained by Stephen Leaders to offer high quality, one-to-one Christian care to people going through tough times. Stephen Ministers are not there to “fix” the problems or provide a cure to the hurting person, but to “Show Up” and be there for the person needing care. The healing is left to Jesus.
A Stephen Minister usually provides care to one person at a time, meeting with that person once a week for about an hour. In order to prepare for the care giving mission, Stephen Ministers participate in a 20 week training course. Once assigned a care receiver the Stephen Ministers meet twice a month with their Stephen Leaders for supervision and continuing education.
Care Receivers
Care receivers are people—congregation members and others in the community—who receive care from a Stephen Minister. These are people struggling through a difficult time in life—experiencing grief, divorce, job loss, chronic or terminal illness, or some other life crisis.
Some important guidelines for this caring relationship protect both the care receiver and the Stephen Minister:
• The relationship between a care receiver and a Stephen Minister is confidential.
• Men are matched with men; women with women.
• When a care receiver’s needs exceed what a Stephen Minister can provide, the Stephen Ministry team makes a referral to an appropriate mental health professional or other community resources.
If you think you might want to be a Stephen Minister and are interested in learning more about the Stephen Ministry, please contact Tim Kunish at the St. Jerome parish office 727-595-4610.
What Is Stephen Ministry?
Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2).
Stephen Ministry is the one-to-one lay caring ministry that takes place in congregations that use the Stephen Series system.
Stephen Ministry congregations equip and empower lay caregivers—called Stephen Ministers—to provide high-quality, confidential, Christ-centered care to people who are hurting. Stephen Ministers are parishioners that are trained by Stephen Leaders to offer Christian care to people going through life challenges such as loss of a loved one, divorce, chronic or terminal illness and other difficulties.
The Blessings of Stephen Ministry
Stephen Ministry multiplies blessings throughout the church and community.
• Congregations receive a practical and powerful way to respond to Christ’s commandment: “Love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12 RSV).
• Pastors have a team of gifted, trained, and committed lay caregivers ready to minister to hurting people. • Laypeople nurture and use their gifts in meaningful ministry, growing spiritually as they serve others.
• People who are hurting have a compassionate companion—a caring Christian friend who provides emotional and spiritual support.
Stephen Ministry Is Built to Last
You’ll find Stephen Ministry in congregations from more than 180 Christian denominations, across the U.S. and Canada and in 30 other countries. Stephen Ministry is built to last—going strong for over 20 or even 30 years in hundreds of congregations.
Since Stephen Ministries was founded in 1975:
• More than 13,000 congregations have enrolled in the Stephen Series. • More than 75,000 pastors and lay leaders from those congregations have been equipped at Leader’s Training Courses.
• More than 600,000 laypeople have received Stephen Minister training
How Stephen Ministry Works
The best way to understand how Stephen Ministry works is to learn about three groups of people involved in this ministry: Stephen Leaders, Stephen Ministers, and care receivers.
Stephen Leaders
Stephen Leaders establish and direct Stephen Ministry in a congregation. They—
• build awareness of Stephen Ministry within the congregation and community
• recruit and train Stephen Ministers
• meet with potential care receivers to assess their needs
• match care receivers with Stephen Ministers
• provide Stephen Ministers with ongoing supervision and continuing education
Stephen Ministers
Stephen Ministers are congregation members trained by Stephen Leaders to offer high quality, one-to-one Christian care to people going through tough times. Stephen Ministers are not there to “fix” the problems or provide a cure to the hurting person, but to “Show Up” and be there for the person needing care. The healing is left to Jesus.
A Stephen Minister usually provides care to one person at a time, meeting with that person once a week for about an hour. In order to prepare for the care giving mission, Stephen Ministers participate in a 20 week training course. Once assigned a care receiver the Stephen Ministers meet twice a month with their Stephen Leaders for supervision and continuing education.
Care Receivers
Care receivers are people—congregation members and others in the community—who receive care from a Stephen Minister. These are people struggling through a difficult time in life—experiencing grief, divorce, job loss, chronic or terminal illness, or some other life crisis.
Some important guidelines for this caring relationship protect both the care receiver and the Stephen Minister:
• The relationship between a care receiver and a Stephen Minister is confidential.
• Men are matched with men; women with women.
• When a care receiver’s needs exceed what a Stephen Minister can provide, the Stephen Ministry team makes a referral to an appropriate mental health professional or other community resources.
If you think you might want to be a Stephen Minister and are interested in learning more about the Stephen Ministry, please contact Tim Kunish at the St. Jerome parish office 727-595-4610.