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 St. Louis.


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.

Jill's Story

I was raised in the United Methodist Church with the understanding that God was calling me to nurture and serve others as I had been nurtured and served. So, when I was relocated to North Carolina many years ago, I attended a lunch and learn talk by The Rev. Lou Wallace, who was the Director of Bereavement Services at then Hospice of Greensboro. She talked about different life events that can impact us, and that when we experience multiple events of change, sorrow and grief, we can find ourselves rudderless or stuck in grief. I realized that I had experienced several of these life challenges, and that I needed to find some folks who would walk with me as I wandered and journeyed through grief. I was fortunate to find such caring friends who laughed and cried with me as I expressed my joy at good memories and my pain over losing loved ones.


When the opportunity came to train to become a Stephen Minister, I jumped at the chance. I knew this ministry was for me, because just as caring Christian friends came alongside me in my time of need, I wanted to be there for others. I didn’t have answers for them, but I could listen and let them know they were not alone. Stephen Ministry even led me to hear and understand my calling to ordained ministry, which has been a great blessing in my life. It all started with becoming a trained Stephen Minister, and I am grateful for the skills and tools I learned through this wonderful ministry of Christian Caregiving. 


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