A trained team of lay people

The name Stephen comes from St. Stephen, who was the first layperson commissioned by the apostles to provide caring ministry to those in need (Acts 6).

Stephen Ministry is a ministry in our congregation in which trained and supervised laypeople, called Stephen Ministers, provide one-to-one Christian care to individuals facing life challenges. Stephen Ministers are caring Christians who listen, understand, accept, and pray for and with care receivers who are working through a difficult time in life. Their role is to listen and care, not to give advice. Stephen Ministers are also trained to recognize when a care receiver’s needs fall outside what they are equipped to provide—at which point they help connect the care receiver with the appropriate outside resource.

Providing one-to-one care

Christ-centered support for members of the congregation and community who are experiencing life’s difficulties. A Stephen Minister typically has one care receiver at a time, of the same gender. After being matched with a person experiencing a life crisis, the Stephen Minister meets with that person on a weekly basis to listen, care, encourage, and provide emotional and spiritual support. The caring relationship lasts as long as the need for care exists.

Led by love

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.

To fulfill the law of Christ.

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.

Stephen Ministry has been around since 1975, when Kenneth Haugk, a pastor and clinical psychologist, began it to multiply the caregiving in his congregation in St. Louis, Missouri. We have had Stephen Ministry here at Reach Church since 2010.