From the Desk of Pastor Matt

I want to share a few words about Stephen Ministry at our church. I hope this will refresh your memory of what it is or inform you if you are new to the church. To make things easier, I’ll refer to Stephen Ministry as “SM.”

SM was founded about fifty years ago by Rev. Dr. Kenneth Haugk in the St. Louis area at a church he served. He noticed that he simply did not have enough time to provide good, one-on-one care for people in his congregation. So, acting on a biblical model, he started a group that would usher in SM. By the way, I got to hear him speak recently, and he is a fascinating guy!

SM is present and active in all 50 states, 10 Canadian provinces, and 30 countries. It is found in over 14,000 congregations worldwide. More than 1.5 million people have received care through SM. There is roughly 600,000 trained Stephen Ministers in addition to even more trained leaders.

    A typical Stephen Minister:
    * Provides care to one person at a time.
    * Usually meets once a week.
    * For about one hour per visit.
               
The ministers and leaders receive at least 50 hours of instruction to ensure they are well-trained. They are trained in areas such as listening, confidentiality, legal issues, and so much more.
               
SM lay dormant at our church for a while. However, one of the Leadership Team’s goals is to restart it at our church if there is a need and desire for it. I think it would continue to serve us well.
               
Having said all that, we will get together on June 7, 2026, at 9:30 AM for a few minutes to assess SM in our church. If you are currently a Stephen Minister or a Stephen Leader, please come to help us discuss this opportunity. If you are interested in becoming a Stephen Minister, please come. If you want to come, but cannot, please let me know. In the meantime, if you feel like you or someone you know would like to be a care receiver from a Stephen Minister, just pass the word along to me.

Peace,

Pastor Matt