What is Stephen Ministry?


Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2, NRSV).


Stephen Ministry offers a proven and effective way to organize, equip, and supervise a team of congregation members—called Stephen Ministers—to provide high-quality, one-to-one, Christ-centered care to people in the congregation and the community experiencing life difficulties.


Who’s Involved in Stephen Ministry?


Stephen Leaders are church staff, lay leaders, and pastors trained to provide ongoing leadership for their congregation’s Stephen Ministry. They are equipped for this key role through the Bridge Leader’s Training Course offered by Stephen Ministries


Stephen Ministers are congregation members trained by their Stephen Leaders to offer care to people who are hurting. A Stephen Minister typically has one care receiver at a time and meets with that person once a week for about an hour.


Care receivers are individuals in the congregation or community who are going through a crisis or life difficulty. Potential care receivers first meet with a pastor or Stephen Leader, who assesses their needs for care and matches them with a Stephen Minister. The caring relationship lasts for as long as the need persists.


We invite you to pray as GCUMC reignites our Stephen Ministry program.  In 2024 we commissioned four Stephen Leaders and currently have four newly commissioned Stephen Ministers. Below we highlight the testimonies of our leaders and ministers. As you read, please, pray along with us that this much needed ministry grows back into serving our congregation.  

Mark's Story

           My Stephen Ministry journey began in September of 1999, at the time I became a father for the first time.  I was not to be a traditional dad, for God had different plans.  My wife and I were unable to conceive so we began by fostering a beautiful 9-month-old baby girl named Brooke whom we instantly adored.  A little over 2 years later, we were both still smitten with her and legally adopted her.  It was about this time our church began a Stephen Ministry program and feeling very blessed, I felt led to try to bless others and so I became a trained Stephen Minister.  Fast forward to thirteen years later, my father-in-law died and the next month, my wife was diagnosed with cancer.  Six months she battled courageously but ultimately God had different plans and I lost my wife, and Brooke lost her mother at the tender age of 14.  It was a really difficult time filled with endless questions about God and my faith, something I had not struggled with as much until then.  We both supported each other through the heartbreak and sadness. 


Fast forwarding again, in a serendipitous encounter, I reunited with a woman whom I had worked with years before and who had walked through a similar unfortunate occurrence in her life.  We got to know each other taking our time, fully knowing several children (she had 2, I had 1) and broken hearts were involved, but through it all she became my most loyal best friend.  This helped me eventually come to the realization that God has been walking along side of me my entire life, even when I wasn’t aware of it.  We both grew in our Christian faith and joined Guilford College United Methodist Church about 2 years ago.  Pastor Susan was quick to learn I was a trained Stephen Minister and asked if I would be willing to be a Stephen Leader on a Team. I thought about all of the people in my life, some of which I have never been able to thank, that comforted me and encouraged me and helped me get to where I am today.  I felt both humbled and that God was challenging me to listen to and walk with others that, like me, go through times of hurting in their lives.

-Mark McPherson, Stephen Leader, GCUMC


Will you consider joining us in this ministry of presence and caring? To learn more about becoming a Stephen Minister and changing your life and someone else’s through Christian caregiving, contact one of the Stephen Leaders: 

Jill Alventosa-Brown jalventosabrown@triad.rr.com

Theresa Davis-Wilson treedw@sbcglobal.net

Mark McPherson markel82014@gmail.com

Carol Randecker cjrandecker@msn.com