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.
People often ask, "What exactly is a Stephen Minister?" One way to put it is that Stephen Ministers are the After People.
Stephen Ministers are there:
...after the phone call you hoped you'd never get.
...after the divorce papers are served and the bottom falls out of your life.
...after the funeral, when everyone has left and the emotions you've held at bay come crashing in on you.
...after the doctor says, "I'm sorry, but there's nothing more we can do."
...after the nursing home director shakes your hand and says, "Welcome to your new home."
...after the last child honks the horn, waves, and drives away - and the house suddenly seems empty.
...after the gavel goes down, the handcuffs go on, and your loved one is led away.
...after the baby arrives, demanding more of you than you ever dreamed possible.
...after you find a pink slip with your final paycheck.
...after your family and friends have heard your story one too many times, but you still need to talk it out.
Stephen Ministers are the "After People." They are ready to come alongside you - or your friends, neighbors, coworkers, or relatives - and provide
comfort and support for as long after as needed.
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