Christ
the King Lutheran Church
Stephen Ministry
ANSWERS TO SOME FREQUENTLY
ASKED
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE STEPHEN MINISTRY
What exactly is Stephen Ministry? Stephen Ministry is a ministry which will train and supervise lay persons, called Stephen Ministers to provide one-to-one Christian care to individuals facing life challenges or difficulties.
Who Is Involved? STEPHEN LEADERS oversee and direct the Stephen Ministry Program. They recruit, select, train, organize and supervise the Stephen Ministers. They help identify people in need of care, and match them with a Stephen Minister. At Christ the King the Stephen Leaders are–Chuck and Alice Banderet; Bob Schiffer; Royal and Betty Sorensen.
STEPHEN MINISTERS are the caregivers. They will have been through 50 hours of training in Christian caregiving, including general topics such as listening, feelings, boundaries, assertiveness, and using Christian resources in caregiving. In addition, their training will cover specialized topics such as ministering to the divorced, hospitalized, bereaved and aging.
CARE RECEIVERS are the recipients of Stephen Minister’s care. They will be people from our church or community who are experiencing divorce, grief, loss of a job, loneliness, hospitalization, terminal illness, or any of an endless number of other life difficulties. Stephen Ministers usually meet once a week (for about an hour) with their care receivers for as long as the care receiver will benefit by the relationship
WHAT DO STEPHEN MINISTERS DO OR NOT DO? Stephen Ministers are caring Christian friends who listen, understand, accept and pray for and with care receivers who are working through a crisis or a tough time. The Stephen Ministers role is to listen and care – not to give counsel. They are trained to recognize when a care receiver’s need exceeds what they can provide; and, to help the care receiver get the level of care they need.
CAN I TRUST A STEPHEN MINISTER? Trust is essential to a caring relationship and Stephen Ministers are people you can trust. Confidentiality is one of the most important principles of Stephen Ministry, and what a care receiver tells his or her Stephen Minister is kept in strictest confidence.
WHY THE NAME STEPHEN? The name STEPHEN comes from St. Stephen, who was the first lay person commissioned by the apostles to provide caring ministry to those in need as recorded in Acts 6.
WHAT’S THE PASTOR’S ROLE? Pastors will always be the primary caregivers, but there is no way the pastor can meet all the needs for care within our congregation. God has called all of us to minister to one another. Stephen Ministry enables lay people to provide caring ministry in addition to the pastor.
WHERE DID IT ALL START? Stephen Ministry has been around since 1975 when Kenneth Haugk began it to multiply the caregiving in his congregation in St. Louis, Missouri. Stephen Ministry here at Christ the King makes us one of more then 7,000 Stephen Ministry congregations from more than 90 denominations.
WHAT DOES THE STEPHEN SERIES LOGO MEAN?
The Stephen Series logo consists of a cross and circle together with a broken person and a whole person. The broken person behind the cross symbolizes the brokenness in our lives due to our sin and imperfections. The whole person stands in front of the cross because it is only through the cross of Jesus that we are made whole. The circle symbolizes both the wholeness we receive through Christ and God’s unending love for us.
If you or someone you know could benefit from having a Stephen Minister to walk though a life crisis with them, please contact the office (595-2117) to be put in touch with Pastor Mike or a Stephen Leader.
