Stephen Ministry

FCCR is beginning a ministry that will help us train and organize some of our members to provide quality care and extend the caring ministry of the church.  Our Stephen Ministry will be led by Dr. Frank Miller, Greta Miller, Rev. Mark Irons and Marilyn Giles, pictured here, who recently attended an intensive seven-day  Leader's Training Course in St. Louis, Missouri to learn how to organize and direct Stephen Ministry here at FCCR.

What Exactly Is Stephen Ministry?
Stephen Ministry is a ministry in our congregation in which trained and supervised lay persons, called Stephen Ministers, will provide one-to-one Christian care to individuals facing life challenges or difficulties.

Who Is Involved?
Stephen Leaders are the ones who oversee and direct our Stephen Ministry.  They recruit, select, train, organize, and supervise our Stephen Ministers, identify people in need of care, and match them with a Stephen Minister.

Stephen Ministers are the caregivers.  They will receive 50 hours of training in Christian care giving, including general topics such as listening, feelings, boundaries, assetivesness, and using Christian resources in caregiving.  In addition, their training covers specialized topics such as ministering to the divorced, hospitalized, bereaved, and aging.

Care receivers are the recipients of Stephen Ministers' care.  They are people from our church or community who are experiencing divorce, grief, loss of a job, loneliness, hospitalization, terminal illness, or any of an endless number of other life difficulties.  Stephen Ministers usually meet with their care receivers once a week for about an hour for as long as the care receiver will benefit by the relationship.

What Do Stephen Ministers Do?
Stephen Ministers are caring Christian friends who listen, understand, accept, and pray for and with care receivers who are working through a crisis or a tough time.

Are Stephen Ministers Counselors?
Stephen Ministers are not counselors; they are trained lay caregivers.  Their role is to listen and care--not to give advice or counsel.  Stephen Ministers are also trained to recognize when a care receiver's need exceeds what they can provide.  When that happens, they work with care receivers to help them receive the level of care they really need.

Can I Trust a Stephen Minister?
Trust is essential to a caring relationship, and Stephen Ministers are people you can trust.  Confidentiality is one of the most important principles of Stephen Ministry, and what a care receiver tells his or her Stephen Minister is kept in the strictest confidence.

Recruitment of Stephen Ministers will begin in September.  Please keep our Stephen Leaders in your prayers as they lay a strong foundation for this ministry.