New class beginning in
September! Interested? See
contact information below.
Caren Burhans
or call for more information
238-0919
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The Story of Stephen Ministry
Stephen Ministries dates back to 1974 when Kenneth Haugk, a pastor and clinical psychologist, was pastor of St. Stephen’s
Lutheran Church in St. Louis, Missouri. Fresh out of seminary he was eager to make a positive impact on his congregation by
providing pastoral care for all life’s transitions. Very quickly, though, he found that the needs for care by far exceeded that which
he alone could provide. He faced one of a pastor’s greatest frustrations: seeing people slipping through the cracks because their
urgent needs were going unmet. In November of 1974 he discussed the situation with two seminary friends. The conversation
turned to Ephesians 4 and “equipping the saints for the work of ministry”. Haugk realized that God did not intend for pastors to
monopolize ministry. Rather, God gave all His people gifts for ministry and one of his roles as pastor was to equip others to use
their gifts in ministry.
In the coming months he recruited nine lay people who had the gifts and heart to do caring ministry. He used his skills to
develop a training program in Christian care giving. These nine people were commissioned in March 1975 as “Stephen
Ministers. Their first care receivers were a widower, a blind person, a truck driver forced to retire early, and an inactive
member struggling with faith issues.
The impact was immediate. People began receiving the focused Christian care they needed. Fewer people were slipping
through the cracks. The Stephen Ministers were surprised by the spiritual growth they encountered as they saw God working
through them to bring love and healing to others.
Two of the Stephen Ministers cornered Haugk and insisted he bring the ministry to other churches. Haugk agreed and in
November 1975 he founded the not-for-profit Stephen Ministry organization and began bringing Stephen Ministry to other
congregations. It spread like wildfire. Centenary is one of more than 9,000 congregations from more than 100 Christian
denominations on eight continents that now have Stephen Ministry. Over a quarter million people have been trained as Stephen
Ministers, a number that grows by tens of thousands each year. More than a million people across the world have been
touched by God’s love through a Stephen Minister.
Stephen Ministers receive 50 hours of training and ongoing peer supervision while providing confidential Christian support to
people in need of someone to come up alongside them during trying times in their lives and provide Christian lay support.
Stay tuned to see how Centenary is embarking
on this ministry of caring for each other.
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Have you or someone you
know recently had to adjust to
any of these life situations: a
new job, a new baby, a new
boss, a new house, a
separation, a grown child
moving back home, a seriously
ill parent, the death of a loved
one or friend, a best friend who
has moved?
All of these situations are tough
to handle alone. But, you do not
have to carry the burden by
yourself. Our Stephen
Ministers are trained to help
you walk through the struggles
of life, and they are available to
anyone who needs them.
Remember, Stephen Ministers
are not professional counselors
or psychologists; they are
simply fellow Christians who
are ready to be a support to
you during any changes (good
or bad) in your life.
