Stephen Ministry   Is...

                                                                                                      

• A child of God who walks beside a person who is hurting.
• A congregation member with gifts for caregiving, who was carefully selected to serve in this role.
• A lay person who has received 50 hours of training in providing emotional and spiritual care.
• A caring, Christian friend who listens, cares, prays, supports, and encourages.
• Someone who will be there for his or her care receiver, meeting faithfully for about an hour each week, for as long as there’s a need.

Stephen Ministers provide one-to-one Christian care to the bereaved, hospitalized, ill, separated, divorced, unemployed, relocated, and others facing a crisis or life challenge. In the current economic situation, when we are greeted with despair when we turn on the news or read the newspaper, there may be people who could benefit from a caregiver who is trained to listen. As Christians, we are comforted knowing that God is in control. If we are individually facing economic crisis, job loss, reduced health insurance, etc., a relationship with a Stephen Minister could be helpful.

If you are interested in more information about our Stephen Ministry Program ("Click" on the name)  Sharon Williamson , or Jim Szeyller or call the church @ (704)366-5114. 

You play an important role in the Stephen Ministry. Here’s what you can do:

STEPHEN MINISTRY IS YOUR MINISTRY:

• Pray for God to bring hope and healing to hurting people through Stephen Ministry.
• Accept care from a Stephen Minister during your time of need. God doesn’t expect you to bear your burdens alone.
• Tell a friend, neighbor, coworker, or relative who is hurting about our Stephen Ministry.
• If you are a good listener and a compassionate person, prayerfully consider becoming a Stephen Minister
• A Stephen Minister will only be assigned with your permission, and under conditions of strictest confidence.

Who are Stephen Ministers?
Lay men and women from our congregation who have developed their gifts for bringing the concern and care of Christ's community to people in need. They are people who come from all walks of life, age ranges, and backgrounds. They are caring and sharing Christians desiring to offer their help/support to others in time of need. They are trained and dedicated Christians, commissioned by our church to confidential, in-depth caring. Stephen ministers are not professional psychologists, experts in law, medicine, or church doctrine; or social workers with access to extensive physical services. But nor are they superficial “visitors” who simply “drop-in” from time to time.

How are Stephen Ministers Trained?
Stephen Ministers receive about 50 hours of training, based solidly on Biblical testimony and drawing from the best tools of the health and psychological sciences before beginning their care giving work. The training topics are really “Practical Theology.” Topics include: The Art of Listening, How to Use the Bible with Others, Confidentiality, Ministry to the Dying, Depressed, Older Persons, Grieving, etc. Throughout their service, Stephen Ministers receive continuing education in a variety of subjects.

Who Benefits from Stephen Ministry?

People Who Need Care ................

• Receive quality, Christ-centered, confidential care for their hurts and needs
• Find hope, healing, and a new sense of self-worth through the support of a Stephen Minister
• Know they are remembered and supported by their congregation in times of personal difficulty
• Receive ongoing care for continuing needs long after the onset of a crisis, when many others have forgotten about them
• Grow in a deeper relationship with their Lord as they experience God's unconditional love for them through their Stephen Minister

Your Pastors .............. 

• No longer shoulder the entire burden of caring in the congregation, as if the pastor were the only one able, willing, or called to do this ministry
• Receive support and care from the lay people who are part of the congregation's Stephen Ministry Team
• Reach more members of the congregation with quality Christian care
• Experience renewed joy and satisfaction as they equip others and so extend the reach of their own ministries
• Have more time to focus on the ministries that only the pastor can do

Your Lay People..............

• Discover, cultivate, and use the spiritual gifts they have been blessed with
• See themselves as active partners in the mission and ministry of the church
• Find all aspects of their lives enriched by the distinctively Christian caregiving skills they learn and practice
• Experience great joy as they see God working through them to bring hope and healing to a hurting person
• Grow spiritually as they experience the Lord's loving presence in community with other Christian caregivers

Your Entire Congregation ...............

•  Discovers that many members want to be involved in meaningful ministry and will respond to the call to become a Stephen Minister or Stephen Leader
• Becomes a more loving community that is more sensitive and responsive to people's needs for care
• Is able to provide more quality Christian care, so that fewer people slip through the cracks
• Is able to reach out to the unchurched who are hurting and introduce them to the healing love of Jesus in their time of need
• Sees itself as not only being served by the pastor, but as a caring body of believers actively involved in serving one another in love