Stephen Ministry
Stephen Ministers are lay congregation members trained to provide one-to-one care to those experiencing a difficult time in life, such as grief, divorce, job loss, chronic or terminal illness, or relocation. Stephen Ministers come from all walks of life, but they all share a passion for bringing Christ’s love and care to people during a time of need. Since 1975, more than 600,000 people from more than 14,000 congregations and other organizations have been trained as Stephen Ministers.
Learn, Grow & Serve by Becoming a Stephen Minister
Would you like to be part of a ministry that gives people care and support when they need it most—while making a difference in your own life? If you’d like to learn more about becoming a Stephen Minister, contact a pastor or Stephen Leader.
What Stephen Ministers Do
Stephen Ministry is a complete system for training and organizing laypeople to provide one-toone care to hurting people in the congregation and community. There are three main groups of people involved in Stephen Ministry:
Stephen Leaders are lay leaders, church staff, and pastors trained by Stephen Ministries St. Louis to direct their congregation’s Stephen Ministry.
Stephen Ministers are lay congregation members trained by their Stephen Leaders to provide care to hurting individuals.
Care Receivers are people who meet with a Stephen Minister to receive care while experiencing a difficult time in life. T he name Stephen Ministry comes from Stephen, one of the first laypeople commissioned by the Apostles to provide caring ministry to those in need (Acts 6:1–7).