What Is Stephen Ministry?
The genesis of Stephen Ministry is seen in the book of Acts. Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and six others were chosen to aid the Apostles in providing caring ministry to those in need. Since the time of the Apostles, caring ministry has been a hallmark of the Christian faith community. Today, Stephen Ministry continues this tradition of caring by providing one-to-one, Christ-centered care to people in our congregation and community who are experiencing difficulties in their life. Millions of people in more than 13,000 Christian churches throughout the United States, Canada, and thirty other countries have benefited from Stephen Ministry since its founding in 1975. We have had an active Stephen Ministry at Santa Catalina Parish for over 12 years.
Stephen Ministry is founded on pillars of compassion, grace-based acceptance, listening, trust, and confidentiality. Through distinctively Christian, one-to-one caring relationships, Stephen Ministers walk faithfully with those who are hurting on their journey to wholeness. We meet the needs of individuals in a variety of life situations, such as being homebound, suffering the loss of a loved one, loneliness, prolonged illness, disability, rehabilitation, spiritual crisis, or divorce, as well as experiencing job loss, a recent move, or other stressful circumstances.
Who Is a Stephen Minister?
Our Stephen Ministers are members of Santa Catalina. They are lay people like you – caring Christians who want to make a difference in the lives of those going through difficult times. They come from different backgrounds, ages, and walks of life, but all have one important thing in common: a heart for bringing Christ’s healing love to hurting people.
Stephen Ministers are thoroughly trained, with over fifty hours of initial training plus ongoing education, to provide one-to-one care to individuals who are struggling with the challenges of life. Their training is a Christ-centered experience that equips them with essential caring and relating skills. A Stephen Minister is compassionate, trustworthy, skilled, and full of faith - someone who will exercise strict confidentiality, someone who will not judge, someone who will listen and walk faithfully with a care receiver on their journey of healing.
Receiving Care, or Becoming a Stephen Minister
Care Receiving: A person – you, a relative, or a friend – is hurting and in need of care.
Becoming A Stephen Minister – Responding to God’s call to serve those in need.
Becoming a Stephen Minister is a life-transforming experience—an opportunity to serve God, help others, and grow in faith. Stephen Ministers are people like you—caring Christians who want to make a difference in the lives of those going through difficult times. Serving in this role is an opportunity to put your spiritual gifts into action and touch people’s lives in powerful ways.
This rewarding ministry begins with an engaging, interactive training experience that fully equips you to provide high-quality, Christ-centered care to people who are hurting. It also provides opportunities for building Christian community, learning relationship principles and skills that deepen all the relationships in your life, and experiencing renewed spiritual growth.
To learn more, contact a Stephen Leader at Santa Catalina Parish.
