Stephen Ministry at Mount Calvary
Our Stephen Leaders
Mr. Ray Lang
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Mr. Doug Halldorson
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Mrs. Elaine Nye
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Mrs. Frieda Regehr
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Mrs. Lynn Fraser
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Mrs. Fay Schatschneider
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Mr. Garry Murdoch
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"Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of
Christ" (Galatians 6:2, NRSV).
What Is Stephen Ministry?
Stephen Ministry is the one-to-one lay caring ministry that takes place in congregations that use the Stephen Series system. The Stephen Series system was initiated in 1975 by Dr. Kenneth Haugk.
Today, more than 11,000 congregations and other organizations have enrolled in the Stephen Series. They represent more than 160 Christian denominations and come from all 50 United States, 10 Canadian provinces, and 24 other countries. More than 65,000 pastors, other staff, and lay leaders have been trained as Stephen Leaders. They, in turn, have trained more than 600,000 laypersons as Stephen Ministers. These Stephen Ministers have provided one-to-one Christian care and support to more than a million Care Receivers in Stephen Ministry caring relationships—and ministered to millions more in less formal ways.
How Stephen Ministry Works
The best way to understand how Stephen Ministry works is to learn about three groups of people involved in this ministry: STEPHEN LEADERS, STEPHEN MINISTERS and CARE RECEIVERS.
STEPHEN LEADERS — Stephen Leaders establish and direct Stephen Ministry in a congregation. They:
People learn to serve as Stephen Leaders by attending a Leader’s Training Course—a one-week conference that introduces the resources used to lead Stephen Ministry, develops key skills, and gets people excited about this caring ministry.
STEPHEN MINISTERS — Are lay caregivers trained in the congregation by Stephen Leaders to offer high-quality, one-to-one Christian care to people going through tough times. A Stephen Minister usually provides care to one person at a time, meeting with that person once a week for about an hour. Once a month, Stephen Ministers gather with their Stephen Leaders for supervision and continuing education.
CARE RECEIVERS — Are people—congregation members and others in the community—who receive care from a Stephen Minister. These are people struggling through a difficult time in life—experiencing grief, divorce, job loss, chronic or terminal illness, or some other life crisis.
Some important guidelines for this caring relationship protect both the care receiver and the Stephen Minister:
Christ" (Galatians 6:2, NRSV).
What Is Stephen Ministry?
Stephen Ministry is the one-to-one lay caring ministry that takes place in congregations that use the Stephen Series system. The Stephen Series system was initiated in 1975 by Dr. Kenneth Haugk.
Today, more than 11,000 congregations and other organizations have enrolled in the Stephen Series. They represent more than 160 Christian denominations and come from all 50 United States, 10 Canadian provinces, and 24 other countries. More than 65,000 pastors, other staff, and lay leaders have been trained as Stephen Leaders. They, in turn, have trained more than 600,000 laypersons as Stephen Ministers. These Stephen Ministers have provided one-to-one Christian care and support to more than a million Care Receivers in Stephen Ministry caring relationships—and ministered to millions more in less formal ways.
How Stephen Ministry Works
The best way to understand how Stephen Ministry works is to learn about three groups of people involved in this ministry: STEPHEN LEADERS, STEPHEN MINISTERS and CARE RECEIVERS.
STEPHEN LEADERS — Stephen Leaders establish and direct Stephen Ministry in a congregation. They:
- build awareness of Stephen Ministry within the congregation and community
- recruit and train Stephen Ministers
- meet with potential care receivers to assess their needs
- match care receivers with Stephen Ministers
- provide Stephen Ministers with ongoing supervision and continuing education
People learn to serve as Stephen Leaders by attending a Leader’s Training Course—a one-week conference that introduces the resources used to lead Stephen Ministry, develops key skills, and gets people excited about this caring ministry.
STEPHEN MINISTERS — Are lay caregivers trained in the congregation by Stephen Leaders to offer high-quality, one-to-one Christian care to people going through tough times. A Stephen Minister usually provides care to one person at a time, meeting with that person once a week for about an hour. Once a month, Stephen Ministers gather with their Stephen Leaders for supervision and continuing education.
CARE RECEIVERS — Are people—congregation members and others in the community—who receive care from a Stephen Minister. These are people struggling through a difficult time in life—experiencing grief, divorce, job loss, chronic or terminal illness, or some other life crisis.
Some important guidelines for this caring relationship protect both the care receiver and the Stephen Minister:
- The relationship between a care receiver and a Stephen Minister is confidential.
- Men are matched with men; women with women.
- When a care receiver’s needs exceed what a Stephen Minister can provide, the Stephen Ministry team makes an appropriate referral.
