Stephen Ministry
"They chose Stephen, a
man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit...And the Word of God
increased; and the number of disciples
multiplied greatly in Jerusalem..."
"Bear one anothers burdens...and
so fulfill the law
of Christ."
- What is the Stephen
Ministry?
- A special ministry in
which one Christian reaches
out to another in a time of need
- A structured program of
training and preparation
for a caring relationship
- An opportunity to reach
out to others -- the lonely, the depressed, the inactive, the bereaved,
new people in town, those hospitalized and convalescing, the divorced,
the aged
- An on-going helping
relationship with scheduled regularly, dependability, and
confidentiality
- A meaningful way for our
church to use more fully our many talents in sharing one anothers
burdens and joys
- Who are the Stephen
Ministers?
- Lay persons from our
congregation who have developed their gifts for bringing the concern
and care of Christ's community to people in need
- Will the Stephen
Ministry replace the Pastoral Ministry
of our pastors?
- Absolutely not!
The Stephen Ministry will instead expand
their ministry by providing more workers in the Body of Christ.
Caregiving is certaining a pastor's job, but the pastors often do not
have enough time to minister effectively to all of the needs of the
congregation. Another part of the
pastor's job is to "equip the saints" -- all of the members of the
congregation
-- to provide this kind of care for one another. In so doing, the
pastor
greatly multiplies the caregiving that can be done.-
How are Stephen Ministers
trained?
- Stephen Ministers receive
approximately 50 hours of training, based solidly on Biblical testimony
and drawing from the best tools of the health and psychological
sciences before beginning their caregiving work.
- What kind of
commitment will I have to make as a
Stephen Minister?
- Obviously, being a Stephen
Minister will require a commitment of time and effort in the service of
helping other people.
- A two year commitment
beginning with the 50 hours
of training, and continuing throughout the commissions and caregiving
of
the Stephen Minister
- In addition to your
service as a Stephen Minister, two meetings a month of at least 2 hours
will be held for supervision and continuing education
- Being a Stephen
Minister will bring many unexpected blessings into your life:
- Christian Growth
- Fellowship
- Experience of a caring
group
- Being a vital part of a
living church -- Christ's body
- Skills for everyday life
experiences
For more detailed information,
please contact the church
or LaDean Stobaugh