A Congregation Equipped To Serve
Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ – Galatians 6:2
Stephen Ministry
is the one-to-one lay caring ministry that takes place in congregations that use the Stephen Series System.
Stephen Ministry congregations equip and empower lay caregivers—called Stephen Ministers—to provide high-quality, confidential, Christ-centered care to people who are hurting.
Wesley Freedom has been part of Stephen Ministry since 1999. We currently have 3 active Stephen Leaders, including our Associate Pastor, Rev. Ian Collier.
Request A Stephen Minister
Care Receivers are people—congregation members and others in the community—who receive care from a Stephen Minister. These are people struggling through a difficult time in life—experiencing grief, divorce, job loss, chronic or terminal illness, or some other life crisis.
Some important guidelines for this caring relationship protect both the care receiver and the Stephen Minister:
- 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 (this does not happen very often), the Stephen Ministry team makes a referral to an appropriate mental health professional or other community resource.
To explore if a Stephen Minister might be right for you, email Pastor Ian at icollier@wesleyfreedom.org.
Stephen Ministers
Stephen Ministers are congregation members trained by Stephen Leaders to. provide one-to-one care to people experiencing a difficult time in life, such as grief, divorce, job loss, chronic or terminal illness, relocation, or separation due to military deployment. A Stephen Minister usually provides care to one person at a time, meeting with that person once a week for about an hour. Once a month, our Stephen Ministers gather with their Stephen Leaders for supervision and continuing education.
A Stephen Minister begins a caring relationship when he or she is matched with a person experiencing a life crisis. The Stephen Minister then meets with that person on a weekly basis to listen, care, encourage, and provide emotional and spiritual support. The caring relationship lasts as long as the person is in need of care.
People learn to serve as Stephen Leaders by attending a Leader’s Training Course—a one-week conference that introduces the resources used to lead Stephen Ministry, develops key skills, and gets people excited about this caring ministry.
Are you feeling called to become a Stephen Leader? Contact Joanna Compton (
joannadcompton@gmail.com)
Stephen Leaders are the ones who establish and direct Stephen Ministry in a congregation. They—
build awareness
of Stephen Ministry within the congregation and community
Recruit and train
Stephen Ministers in the congregation
Meet Potential Care Receivers
to assess their needs and match them with Stephen Ministers
Teach and Guide
Stephen Ministers through ongoing education and supervision