History: StephenMinistry began in 1975 when the Rev. Kenneth C. Haugk, pastor and clinical psychologist, trained nine laypeople at his congregation in St. Louis to be Stephen Ministers. They assisted him in providing distinctively Christian care to members of the congregation and community.
Name: The name Stephen comes from St. Stephen, who was the first layperson commissioned by the Apostles to provide caring ministry to those in need (Acts 6).
Congregations: More than 10,000 congregations are enrolled in the Stephen Series. These congregations represent more than 150 Christian denominations from all 50 states, 10 Canadian provinces, and 23 other countries. Front Street United Methodist offers StephenMinistry to the church family and community.
StephenMinistry Logo:
The StephenMinistry logo consists of a cross and circle, together with a broken person and a whole person. The broken person stands behind the cross, symbolizing the brokenness in our lives as a result of our sin. The whole person stands in front of the cross because it is through the cross of Jesus that we again are made whole. The circle symbolizes both the wholeness we receive through Christ and God’s unending love for us.
How Stephen Ministry Works: Stephen Leaders recruit and select laypeople from the congregation to serve as Stephen Ministers providing 50 hours of training in Christian care-giving. Topics include listening, feelings, assertiveness, confidentiality, and ministering to people in specific situations such as divorce, terminal illness, grief, and childbirth. Stephen Ministers also are trained to recognize when a care receiver’s needs go beyond the care a Stephen Minister can provide and where and how to refer the care receiver for additional care. Stephen Leaders link each Stephen Minister with a care receiver—a member of the congregation or community in need of quality Christian care. A Stephen Minister meets with the care receiver for an average of about one hour each week. Stephen Ministers also meet twice monthly for peer supervision and continuing education.
Important to Note
• Stephen Ministers are not counselors. They are trained Christian caregivers. Their role is to listen and care—not counsel or advise.
•StephenMinistry is a supervised ministry. Stephen Ministers engage in twice-monthly supervision to ensure that they are providing the best-quality Christian care.
•StephenMinistry is a confidential ministry. What a care receiver tells a Stephen Minister remains confidential. Even in supervision, the names of care receivers and specific details are never discussed.
• Stephen Ministers are assigned only to people who agree to receive the care of a Stephen Minister.
Are you in need of care? – Our Stephen Leaders along with our pastors and staff want to provide the strongest pastoral care possible. Pastors Ben Alexander and Marshall Old along with Coordinator of Congregational Care Frankie Zumbro are very helpful in assessing whether
Stephen Ministry would be helpful. Our Senior Pastor, Rev. Marshall Old, works with our Stephen Leaders in assigning our Stephen Ministers. Every inquiry receives confidential attention.
