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 Stephen Ministers

What is Stephen Ministry?
What is a Stephen Minister?
How does referral work?
How do you get your own Stephen Minister?
Stephen Ministry at FUMCR
Training Schedule
Who is Stephen?
More about Stephen Ministries

What is Stephen Ministry?

 Stephen Ministry is grounded in the command of Jesus to love one another. Through one-to-one caring relationship, those who are hurting receive the love and care they need to support them.

  •  Is life more than you can handle right now?
  • Are your health, your attitude, or your relationships suffering?
  • Are you adjusting to a new job, change in marital status, a serious illness, the death of a loved one, a recent move?
  • Would you like to have someone in your life who really cares?

Everyone goes through difficult times. Having someone to care, to listen, to share God's love with you can help you get through the confusion, stress, or loneliness you may be experiencing.

What is a Stephen Minister?

 A Stephen Minister is a trained lay minister who provides confidential, distinctively Christian one-to-one care to those in need, both in our congregation and community.

  •  A Stephen Minister is a Christian friend who really listens.
  • A Stephen Minister walks beside a hurting person.
  • A Stephen Minister is a lay person with fifty hours of initial training who continues to be trained and supervised in order to be able to provide the best possible distinctly Christian care.

A Stephen Minister is NOT a counselor or therapist, a problem-solver, or a casual visitor.

How does referral work?

  • A person - either you, a relative, or a friend - is hurting and in need of Christian care.
  • The Stephen Ministry Referrals Coordinator learns about this need for care from a pastor, the person or a friend, always with the person's permission.
  • The Referrals Coordinator meets with the person to talk about Stephen Ministry.
  • With the person's permission, the Referrals Coordinator assigns a Stephen Minister to meet on a weekly basis with the person.
  • The Stephen Minister continues to provide distinctively Christian and strictly confidential care for the person.
 

How do you get your own Stephen Minister?

  • You may call our referrals coordinator: Rev. Ken Shamblin - 972.996.0136.
  •  You may call the church office at 972.235.8385.
  • You may email Ken Shamblin

Stephen Ministry at FUMCR

In February of 1996 six people from our church (Marilyn Evans, Leroy Howe, Nancy Howe, Bob Macy, Harold Rucker and Julie Halstead) attended a seven-day training conference in San Antonio to learn how to become and train effective Stephen Ministers in our church. These people composed our first Stephen Ministry Leadership Team. The Leadership Team members change as people move or change their involvement in this ministry, but leaders are always sent to a Leaders Training Conference such as the one that first group attended.

Our first training class began in July of 1996 and concluded in December of that year. Our first twenty Stephen Ministers began work in January of 1997.

We have more than 40 active Stephen Ministers at work in our church. 

Training Schedule

Stephen Ministers require fifty hours of initial training. Most meetings are on Tuesday nights, 7:00 to 9:30. A Stephen Minister commits to serve for at least two years. After commissioning Stephen Ministers take part in continuing education and twice-monthly small group supervision. A Stephen Minister meets with an assigned care receiver at least weekly. A new class of ten or more Stephen Ministers begins each year. Register here.

Who is Stephen?

Stephen was the first deacon of the early church, selected and commissioned by the twelve apostles to make sure widows in the church were being properly and fairly cared for. You can read about this commission in Acts 6:1-7.

More about Stephen Ministries

Stephen Ministries is an independent, non-denominational organization. They would be happy to provide you with free information about their programs. Visit their website or write:

Stephen Ministries
2045 Innerbelt Business Center Drive
St. Louis, Missouri 63114-5765 Call: 314.428.2600 or Fax Request: 314.428.7888