Stephen Ministry FAQs

Are you interested in becoming a Stephen Minister?

HELP is available through the care of one of our Stephen Ministers.

What is Stephen Ministry?

Is Stephen Ministry unique to St. Stephen's Episcopal Church?

How often does a Stephen Minister meet with a care receiver?

Are my conversations with a Stephen Minister confidential?

What does it cost to receive care from a Stephen Minister?

How do I set up a care-receiver relationship with a Stephen Minister?

Stephen Ministry gives churches an effective way to train and organize parishioners to provide one-to-one Christian care to individuals struggling with a crisis such as grief, divorce, loneliness, relocation, hospitalization, a terminal illness, or unemployment.  As Christians we are called to care for and love one another – it is not just a calling for priests and deacons.  By equipping our parish lay people with training, they can fulfill their calling as Christians and also expand the amount of caring ministry available to the parishioners of St. Stephen’s.  

No.  Stephen Ministry was founded in 1975 by Dr. Kenneth Haugk, pastor of St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church and a clinical psychologist in private practice in St. Louis, Missouri.  Dr. Haugk could not meet the need for ongoing care in his congregation, and so he trained nine of his parishioners to meet this need.  His program was so successful that other congregations asked him to help them implement the program in their churches.  Today, more than 9,000 congregations are involved in Stephen Ministry, representing over 100 Christian denominations throughout the United States and 22 countries.  More than 48,000 ministers and lay persons have been trained as Stephen Leaders, who in turn have trained more than 450,000 church members as Stephen Ministers.

Stephen Ministers meet with their care receivers for about an hour a week to listen, pray, and help bear burdens. They provide care, not a cure. The relationship continues by mutual agreement between a Stephen Minister and his/her care receiver as long as need be.

Absolute confidentiality is a cornerstone of this ministry.  The identity of those receiving care, and what takes place in each caring relationship, remains confidential.

There is no cost to the care receiver who accepts a Stephen Minister.

Call the church office at 303-364-3186, send an email or speak to one of our Stephen Ministers, identified by their blue badges bearing the Stephen Ministry logo, before or after a Sunday Service.