Stephen Ministers at Meadow Park provide one on one caring and spiritual mentoring.

Click to Watch Stephen Ministry Video aired on PBS

 

The Core Purpose of Stephen Ministries' is summed up in Ephesians.

"To equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ" (Ephesians 4:12-13).

What is a Stephen Minister?

In 1975 Rev. Kenneth C. Haugk, Ph.D., a pastor and clinical psychologist, saw that people’s needs for care in his congregation and community far exceeded what he alone could provide. He developed materials to train nine of his congregation members to provide quality, one-to-one Christian care to individuals experiencing a life crisis. Upon completion of their training, he commissioned them as “Stephen Ministers” and linked them with people with a variety of needs for care. “Stephen Ministry” was so successful in his church that other congregations wanted to become involved. Dr. Haugk then founded the Stephen Ministries organization and developed the Stephen Series, which now has been implemented in more than 8,000 congregations representing more than 100 Christian denominations. More than 300,000 laypersons have been trained as Stephen Ministers, who in turn have ministered to nearly a million care receivers.

A Stephen Minister IS:

a person who really listens, and offers unconditional support; a lay person who has received more than 50 hours of training, as well as continuing education, on how to provide confidential, distinctively Christian care; a child of God who walks beside a hurting person.

A Stephen Minister IS NOT:

a counselor or therapist; a substitute for professional care; a problem-solver; a casual visitor;

Mission Of Meadow Park Stephen Ministers

To identify, train, and commission persons from our Meadow Park congregation to provide distinctively Christian one-to-one care to those who are experiencing all kinds of life needs and difficulties.In general, in the last 25 years, more than 5,000 congregations in more than 70 denominations have sent 20,000 lay leaders to be trained with the skills and knowledge they need to go back to their congregations and train lay persons in caring ministryskills. Stephen Ministry training equips persons to practice the love of Christ in an intentional and practical way.

For more information about relationships with specially trained volunteer caregivers, contact Kathy Hazen or click on national link above.