Stephen Ministry

Stephen Ministry

Stephen Ministry is a one-to-one lay caring ministry that takes place in congregations that use the Stephen Series system.

Stephen Ministry congregations such as Highline Christian Church equip and empower lay caregivers—called Stephen Ministers—to provide high-quality, confidential, Christ-centered care to people who are hurting.

The best way to understand how Stephen Ministry works is to learn about three groups of people involved in this ministry: Stephen Leaders, Stephen Ministers, and Care Receivers.

Stephen Leaders:

Stephen Leaders establish and direct Stephen Ministry in a congregation. They—

  • build awareness of Stephen Ministry within the congregation and community.
  • recruit and train Stephen Ministers.
  • meet with potential Care Receivers to assess their needs.
  • match Care Receivers with Stephen Ministers.
  • provide Stephen Ministers with ongoing supervision and continuing education.

Stephen Ministers:

Stephen Ministers are congregation members trained by Stephen Leaders to offer high-quality, one-to-one Christian care to people going through tough times. A Stephen Minister usually provides care to one person at a time, meeting with that person once a week for about an hour. Twice a month, Stephen Ministers gather with their Stephen Leaders for supervision and continuing education.

Care Receivers:

Care Receivers are people—congregation members and others in the community—who receive care from a Stephen Minister. These are people struggling through a difficult time in life—experiencing grief, divorce, job loss, chronic or terminal illness, or some other life crisis.

Some important guidelines for this caring relationship helps to protect both the Care Receiver and the Stephen Minister:

  • The relationship between a Care Receiver and a Stephen Minister is strictly confidential.
  • Male Care Receivers are matched with male Stephen Ministers and female Care Receivers are matched with female Stephen Ministers.
  • When a Care Receiver’s needs exceed what a Stephen Minister can provide, the Stephen Ministry team makes a referral to an appropriate mental health professional or other community resource.

If you would like to know more about Stephen Ministry, please feel free to talk to one of our pastors.