Stephen Ministry - A Care-giving Ministry
June 14, 2026 – Candy Burnett
Today we will be commissioning 8 new Stephen Ministers. I want to explain several aspects of what
Stephen Ministry is all about but I will probably fall short of touching on everything that would help you
fully understand what it means.
You may be wondering why it is called Stephen Ministry. From the scripture reading from Acts we see that Stephen, “a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit”, was one of the people chosen to be assigned a
caregiving role so the disciples could focus on the ministry of worship. If you didn’t recognize it, this is
also when the role of Deacon was established.
So, first, - What is Stephen ministry?
It is a lay care-giving ministry that supplements pastoral care. The program teaches laypersons to
provide one-on-one care for individuals who request support.
You see, pastors generally step in to help handle personal crisis and go from one crisis to another. That
may leave someone with longer term needs that the pastor may not have the time to give. But a Stephen Minister can step in and fill the need.
Stephen Ministers are the after people, offering consistent listening and care. Or, maybe like in Job’s
case, a person just needs someone to be with them in their time of difficulty. They listen, care, pray, and support, but they are not counselors, therapists, or problem-solvers.
A Stephen Minister is a layperson in a Christian congregation who has received 50 hours of training. A lot is involved and I won’t go through all that but believe me, they have really worked hard in preparation for this role after which the Stephen Minister can provides one-to-one, confidential, emotional, and spiritual support to individuals experiencing life challenges. Reasons for requesting a Stephen Minister’s visits may range from grieving the loss of a loved one, experiencing a major or chronic illness, going through a divorce or breakup, job loss, or other life difficulties, even when one is face with finality or the end of life.
It may be even a case when one’s family and friends are tired of hearing about someone’s complaints and they feel unheard and lost.
To be clear, this is a listening ministry, as I said before it is not counseling or therapy. Stephen Ministers
listen, care, pray, and support, but they are not counselors, therapists, or problem-solvers.But like
counseling or therapy, it is completely confidential.
It is also not a friendly visitor program for people who just need a connection from time to time, not that we couldn’t use that as well. Sometimes, a person going through a challenging period, just needs to know they can say whatever they are thinking, feeling or need to say out loud to someone who will not judge, condemn or share what they are told.
This relationship takes time to build so a period of meeting with a Stephen Minister may be a month or
months, a year or in some cases several years. However long the care receiver needs support, the
Stephen Minister will provide it. At some point the pair will together determine whether there is still a need for support and whether to continue or end.
Stephen Ministers agree to meet their care receivers for one hour a week. The time and place is up to the pair but it is usually in a location which allows for freedom of conversation. Which by the way, women meet with women only and men meet with men only. So, you can see the need for male Stephen Ministers.
How does one get a Stephen Minister? As you just heard me say – “reasons for requesting a Stephen
Minister” – someone must request a Stephen Minister. Sometimes that takes courage and a big step –
someone may feel their problem isn’t big enough or that they should be able to handle it on their own. Our egos and pride can get in the way. It is definitely hard to ask for help for lots of things but especially for personal things. I think if one could get some feedback from people who have had a Stephen Minister, I think they would feel more comfortable about it and in the past, we have had care-receivers publicly express their gratitude for their care-giver. You see, Stephen Ministers cannot reveal who their care-receiver is but a Care-receiver may share who their Stephen Minister is or was, if they want to.
If you might consider asking for a Stephen Minister, you might be looking at this group of 8 or even more choices, and think I don’t know some of them or which one would I pick to talk to. The matches are made by a Stephen Leader, who at this time is Maggie Mansfield. Personally, I think it is best if you don’t really know well or have a relationship with the person ahead of time because then you both are working with a blank slate.
Now that you know more about Stephen Ministry – if you aren’t in need of one but you might know
someone who could benefit from having one, please share the information with them or contact a
Stephen Minister or Leader such as Gerda or Maggie to get more information. There is printed
information in the bulletin and on the back tables as well.
To close - Stephen Ministry serves to bring Christ’s healing love to those who are hurt. Jesus instructed
his disciples to “love one another as I have loved you” (John 13:34). Stephen Ministry, as a care-giving praying with their care receivers ministry, equips people to offer that love through their caring presence, listening, encouraging, and praying with their care receivers.