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ChristCare Group Ministry
in the News

Making the Fire of Faith Burn Brighter

Prince of Peace Lutheran Church--Orlando, Florida

More than 400 congregations are now using both the Stephen Series system of lay caring ministry and the ChristCare Series system of small group ministry to increase discipleship, provide multiple levels of care, help promote spiritual growth, and reach out with Christ’s love to the community. Here is the story of one of these congregations.

Prince of Peace Lutheran Church is well known as a caring community of faith. Rev. John Rallison, Associate Pastor at the church, credits the combination of Stephen Ministry and ChristCare Group Ministry with helping to make that happen. "Putting these two coals together in our congregation makes the fire of faith burn brighter," Rallison said.

Prince of Peace enrolled in the Stephen Series in 1992 and in the ChristCare Series five years later. "These ministries give our members more ways to grow and serve as disciples than ever before," said Rev. Rallison.

In their sermons, the church’s pastors underscore the importance of building caring Christian relationships, frequently lifting up Stephen Ministry and ChristCare Group Ministry as prime examples of how this can be accomplished.

"ChristCare Group Ministry creates a caring Christian community, while Stephen Ministry brings a deeper level of care to an existing need. They are equally important but address two different concerns," said Rev. Rallison. "Having both ministries in place has been very good for us."

Ministry Synergism

The synergy between the two ministries was illustrated recently when one ChristCare Group member needed additional care and was referred to a Stephen Minister. "He continued in his ChristCare Group while his Stephen Minister offered more focused care on a regular basis," Rev. Rallison noted. "The combination helped him get through that difficult time in a much healthier way."

Stephen Leaders and ChristCare Equippers¹ at Prince of Peace take intentional steps to keep the two ministries working in tandem. Stephen Ministry Supervision Groups and ChristCare SEA Groups² meet at the church on the same evenings. When appropriate, Stephen Ministers and ChristCare Group Leaders combine for continuing education or gather together for "share-care-prayer" time. Some Stephen Ministers also belong to ChristCare Groups, which further increases cohesiveness between the ministries.

"These ministries dovetail so well," Rev. Rallison said. "Stephen Ministry empowers Christians to provide quality care for individuals who need personal attention. ChristCare Groups give people a safe place to talk about their faith and form deeper Christian relationships. Both help people grow in faith and learn to follow Jesus in their daily lives."

Rev. Rallison offers this advice: "Don’t take shortcuts when it comes to Christian care. Plan to implement both ministries, and encourage interaction between them. Draw on the wealth of experience from Stephen Ministries St. Louis. Kindle the caregiving fire where you are."

Learn more about beginning ChristCare Small Group Ministry in your congregation.

1 Equippers are pastors, other church staff, and lay leaders who attend a one-week ChristCare Series Equipper’s Training Course to learn how to direct ChristCare Group Ministry in the congregation. Most congregations begin with a team of 2–5 Equippers.

2 SEA (Support, Encouragement, and Accountability) Groups are the ChristCare equivalent of Small Group Peer Supervision Groups in Stephen Ministry.