Answering The Call Stephen Ministry Program Trains Church Members To Help Lighten A Pastor’S Work Load

Pastors are frequently overwhelmed with the needs of their flock — from baptisms to funerals and everything in between. But an increasing number of churches in the area are taking advantage of a special program that trains lay church members to perform ministry work in an attempt to distribute the work load.

The interdenominational Stephen Ministry program can be a blessing for pastors, says the Rev. Larry Cudmore of Calvary Lutheran Church in Post Falls. His church recently commissioned its first class of 15 Stephen Ministers.

“I can’t be everyplace all the time,” he says. “Jesus had 12 disciples to help him out.

“Caring for people is not only the pastor’s job.”

Barbara Ritchie, business administrator at Whitworth Presbyterian Church, has run the program at her church for 10 years. She agrees that pastors can’t be expected to do it all.

“It becomes very obvious that the ordained pastors cannot meet all the long-term needs of the congregation,” she says.

The Stephen Ministry program was founded in 1975 by the Rev. Kenneth Haugk, a pastor and clinical psychologist in St. Louis. It has now spread to more than 6,900 churches in 93 denominations in the United States and 20 other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Japan and Mexico.

Churches interested in starting a Stephen Ministry program usually send two or three people to a special training session for Stephen Leaders. Those newly trained leaders return to their churches and train other people to be Stephen Ministers.

It’s a stringent process, with church members submitting applications to become a Stephen Minister. If they make it through the screening, they must complete 50 hours of standardized training over a period of two months and then take continuing education classes while they work as a Stephen Minister. The program requires each participant to commit to serve at least two years.

The training was challenging, says Grace Carlson of Christ Lutheran Church. Carlson, 64, has been a member of Christ Lutheran since 1963 and finished her training as a Stephen Minister last year. “I think I learned a lot,” she says. “The training really gives you some insights.”

In a nutshell, Stephen Ministers are specially trained lay people who give Christian care in a time of need, says Ritchie, whether it’s due to a death in the family, divorce, illness, unemployment or some other issue. “They are just a friend to be there and listen,” she says. “They are not counselors and don’t offer advice.”

Program directors say that one of the first things they look for in a prospective Stephen Minister is listening skills. “We are not really there to give advice, which is sort of hard for some of us,” says Gail Duba of Christ Lutheran Church in the Spokane Valley. “We want to give advice and fix things.”

Cudmore agrees. “It’s more of a caring ministry rather than a curing ministry,” he says. “That is a struggle. It’s a natural instinct to come in with all the answers.”

Each person seeking help, called a client or care receiver, is screened and carefully matched to a Stephen Minister. Men are matched with men and women with women, although married couples may minister to either. The care giver and care receiver meet for an hour a week for as long as necessary, says Duba.

“It doesn’t go on any longer than it needs to and it goes on as long as it needs to,” she says.

Christ Lutheran commissioned its first group of 10 lay ministers last year and just commissioned a second group of five this month. “They’ve really met a variety of needs,” Duba says.

Stephen Ministers are also trained to know when they’re in over their heads, says Ritchie. If they suspect someone needs professional help, they will suggest it and refer the client to an appropriate agency. Ritchie also looks for problems that may need professional help when she interviews clients in preparation for matching them with a Stephen Minister.

“We try not to turn anyone away unless what they need is something we can’t provide,” she says.

The program has been well received by the Whitworth congregation, with about 125 people receiving help in the 10 years it has been in operation, says Ritchie. Not all of those helped were members of the church. “That is not a requirement,” she says. People usually are referred to the program after hearing about it from a church member.

The program is completely confidential. The only people who know the identity of the care receivers are that person’s Stephen Minister and the program coordinator.

That confidentiality is maintained even during the twice-monthly peer review meetings that are required of Stephen Ministers, says Ritchie. Names or other identifiable characteristics are not divulged.

“It’s more like a support group for the Stephen Ministers,” she says of the peer meetings. “They hold one another accountable. It’s an extremely confidential ministry.

“It’s kind of a silent ministry that goes on because of the confidentiality.”

But churches are not attracted to the program just because it’s a way to ease the pastor’s load. It’s also seen as a way for Christians to minister to other Christians, something people often want to do but don’t know how, says Ritchie.

“It’s a privilege to serve people this way because, as Christians, we are called to serve one another.”

Carlson says she got involved in the Stephen Ministry program when she found herself with spare time that she wanted to use to help someone. “I think I have grown in my faith,” she says. “I think it has helped our community of faith, also.”

Cudmore sees the launching of the Stephen Ministry program in his church as being more important than the building project recently completed.

“It’s absolutely essential, as far as I’m concerned,” he says. “It’s really what the church is called to be and the Stephen Ministry provides an intentional way to be the church.

“It’s time to stop thinking about building issues and get on with why we built buildings. I think it (the program) will just perpetuate itself. Laying the foundation is the most important part of building anything.”

This sidebar appeared with the story:

FOR INFORMATION

* For more information on the Stephen Ministry Program, call (314) 428-2600 or write to 2045 Innerbelt Business Center Drive, St. Louis, MO 63114-5765.