Stephen Ministries

One-on-one Christian care during life’s difficult seasons

Everyone goes through difficult seasons in life. When those seasons come, it helps to have someone on the journey with you. Stephen Ministers are gifted, called, and equipped to walk with people during these tough seasons. They come from all walks of life and share a passion for bringing Christ’s love and care to people during a time of need.

Are you going through a difficult season?

When those seasons come, it helps to have someone on the journey with you: someone who listens to you, prays with you, encourages you, is pulling for you, and who points you towards Christ.

Stephen Ministers at Hope are here for you when you are experiencing challenges in life. Those challenges might include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Loss of a loved one

  • Hospitalization

  • Divorce or separation

  • Loneliness or discouragement

  • Spiritual crisis

  • Unemployment or a job crisis

  • Terminal illness

  • Incarceration

  • Aging

  • Birth, adoption, miscarriage, and/or infertility

  • Chronic illness

  • Relocation

  • Recovery after an accident or disaster

Stephen Ministers are gifted, called, and equipped to walk with you in these tough seasons. They come from all walks of life and share a passion for bringing Christ’s love and care to people during a time of need.

Stephen Ministry is a one-to-one care ministry for adults (ages 18+) and does not take the place of professional counseling or therapy.

Meeting with a Stephen Minister

If you would like to begin meeting with a Stephen Minister, please let us know by filling out this Stephen Minister Request Form. A pastor, or Stephen Ministry Leader, will follow up with you to answer any questions you may have and to explain how the process works.

Confidentiality: Privacy can sometimes be a concern for those receiving care. Please know that Stephen Ministry places a high value on confidentiality. The identity of those receiving care, and what takes place in each caring relationship, remains private.

Serving as a Stephen Minister

Do you feel God might be calling you to serve as a Stephen Minister?

Please contact Pastor Jason at jyoung@hopecommunity.net to discover how you can get involved.

Who are Stephen Ministers?

Stephen Ministers are members of our congregation trained to offer high-quality, one-to-one Christian care to people going through a difficult season. A Stephen Minister usually provides care to one person at a time, meeting with that person once a week for about an hour.

The relationship between a care receiver and a Stephen Minister is confidential. Men are matched with men, women with women. When a care receiver’s needs exceed what a Stephen Minister can provide, the Stephen Ministry team can, if desired, make a referral to another community resource.

Stephen Ministers go through 50+ hours of training before becoming Stephen Ministers. They are trained by Stephen Leaders using a curriculum developed by an organization called Stephen Ministries, which has been training lay people to serve as care givers for over 50 years. After completing 50 hours of training, Stephen Ministers continue to gather twice a month for continuing education and for supervision.

Since Stephen Ministries was founded in 1975:

  • More than 12,000 congregations have enrolled.

  • More than 600,000 laypeople have received Stephen Minister training.

  • More than 1.5 million people have had a Stephen Minister provide one-to-one Christian care during tough times.

Stephen Ministers are not professional counselors or therapists.