Stephen Ministry

Stephen Ministers provide high-quality, one-to-one, Christ-centered care to people experiencing life difficulties.

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.

Learn, Grow, and Serve by Becoming a Stephen Minister

Spiritual gifts are gifts to give away. God gives them to us, and we use them to serve others. How are you using your gifts right now? Are you looking for a new way to use them? If your spiritual gifts include one or more of the following— faith, mercy, teaching the faith, encouragement, listening or knowing—consider Stephen Ministry, our congregation’s one-to-one caregiving ministry. This may be just what you’ve been looking for!

Stephen Ministers are members who have completed 50 hours of caregiving training. They then work alongside our pastors in providing emotional and spiritual support and care to people who are going through a difficult time, such as divorce, grief, hospitalization, unemployment, terminal illness, relocation, chronic illness, or loneliness.

To find out more about becoming a Stephen Minister, please complete the form below.