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How Stephen Ministry Benefits Pastors

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Here are 16 ways pastors have told us that Stephen Ministry has helped them personally and professionally.

Shared Ministry

Pastors no longer bear the sole responsibility of providing care to the entire congregation. They have a team of caregivers--well organized, well trained, highly motivated and committed, and well supervised--to assist with providing pastoral care. Says one pastor, "For the first time in 37 years I am surrounded by a team of people who are as committed to pastoral care of the congregation as I am."

Laity Functioning on a High Level

Pastors can rely on well-trained lay people to carry out many of the day-to-day operations of Stephen Ministry. The thorough training at the LTC allows lay people to function at a very high level so the main workload for this ministry doesn't end up on the pastor's shoulders. Lay people are well trained, well equipped (with extensive resources in their Leader's Manual as well as ongoing support from the Stephen Leader Resource Pages on our Web site and from the consultation staff at Stephen Ministries), empowered, and highly motivated for their role as Stephen Leaders.

Frees the Pastor to Focus on What Only the Pastor Can Do

Stephen Ministry will never replace the ordained clergy because there are certain tasks, duties, and responsibilities that an ordained clergyperson is uniquely trained, qualified, and called to perform. But some areas of ministry can be delegated to lay people who have the necessary gifts, training, and commitment. Caregiving is one of those areas. Pastors who allow Stephen Ministers to help shoulder the caregiving workload find that they have more time to spend on the pastoral duties that they are uniquely equipped to perform.

Multiplies Ministry

One pastor and Stephen Leader at a small congregation reported that he kept careful records and found that for every hour of time he invested in Stephen Ministry, seven hours of caregiving resulted. He considered his involvement in Stephen Ministry to be one of the best and most highly leveraged uses of his time.

Reassurance That People
Are Receiving Quality Care

Pastors know of many more people who need care than they can possibly care for by themselves. Sometimes pastors feel guilty that they aren't providing more care, or they burn themselves out trying to provide the care. Stephen Ministry provides pastors the reassurance that people who need care are receiving it. As one Stephen Series pastor put it, "Since we began Stephen Ministry 15 years ago, I sleep better at night. Right now, for example, I know there are 23 people receiving care--very high-quality care--on a weekly basis from our Stephen Ministers. As a pastor, I simply don't have another 23 hours a week to provide that care myself. So it's a joy and comfort to know that people in need are receiving that care from our Stephen Ministers."

Moves Members beyond the
"It's the Pastor's Job" Mindset

Stephen Ministry is a great way to help members recognize that God calls all his people--not just the ordained clergy--to be involved in ministry. One Stephen Ministry pastor said, "Stephen Ministry transforms a congregation from a consumer group that employs a pastor to a community mobilized for ministry."

Clergy Health

When pastors are overworked and stretched too thin because of a huge load of pastoral care, their personal health suffers. They put in too many hours, they don't get adequate rest or recreation, and, their immune systems, undermined by the overload, are more susceptible to illness. Because congregation members expect and need pastoral care in a crisis, pastors find it hard to say "no" or reduce their hours of pastoral care. But when Stephen Ministers join with pastors to provide pastoral care, pastors know that people are receiving high-quality Christian care. They can reduce the number of hours they need to spend in this area, focusing on people who truly need the pastor's care. Stephen Ministers can help pastors balance their lives more successfully and take the necessary time to care for themselves and their own health.

The Joy of Equipping the Saints

Stephen Ministry provides a wonderful means to help pastors "equip the saints for the work of ministry" (Ephesians 4:11-12). Stephen Ministry pastors report that they find great joy in helping lay people recognize that God is calling them to ministry, helping them to identify and nurture their gifts, and then seeing them use those gifts in meaningful ministry.

Care and Support for Pastors

By being closely involved in caring ministry, lay Stephen Leaders and Stephen Ministers become keenly aware of the pressures and difficulties pastors face. As a result they become very supportive and protective of their pastors and their pastors' families. Many pastors have described how, when they or their spouses have been going through a difficult time, they have received the care of Stephen Ministers in a formal Stephen Ministry caring relationship. Even more commonly, pastors tell us how they and their families have benefited from the supportive care of their Stephen Leaders and Stephen Ministers in less formal ways. Stephen Leaders and Stephen Ministers become strong supporters, advocates, and defenders of their pastors.

Time-Saver

Stephen Ministry saves time for pastors because Stephen Ministers are able to provide many of the caring visits that otherwise would fall on the pastors' shoulders. These time-savings go beyond simply the number of caregiving hours Stephen Ministers provide, because many of the visits they make are house calls that would involve the pastor's commuting time to and from the hospital, home, or convalescent center where the care receiver is located. In larger urban areas, the commuting time can sometimes approach or even exceed the actual visitation time. So Stephen Ministers free up time for pastors--the time for the caring visits and the travel time as well.

Lay Leader Training Ground

The purpose of Stephen Minister training is to equip lay people to serve as Stephen Ministers. But Stephen Ministry training also increases the involvement and commitment level of lay people. Says one Stephen Ministry pastor, "We're in our tenth year of Stephen Ministry and you'd be hard-pressed to find an elder or a deacon active in our body who has not been through our Stephen Ministry training. You'd have a hard time finding a Sunday school teacher who has not been through Stephen Ministry training. We've trained more than 100 Stephen Ministers, and I like to think that all are 'actively serving' in some capacity--whether in Stephen Ministry, as an elder, as a Sunday school teacher, or in another ministry. Our congregation recognizes that the people best prepared to serve anywhere are those who have received Stephen Ministry training."

Spiritual Growth of Members

One of the goals many pastors have is that each member of the congregation will grow spiritually. Stephen Ministry accomplishes spiritual growth for members through activities that draw the Stephen Ministers closer to Christ. One such vital spiritual activity is prayer. A good Stephen Minister has to be a frequent pray-er. As Stephen Ministers observe God working in the lives of care receivers, they appreciate more deeply God's awesome power and incredible love for his people.

Help in a Crisis

In the event of a tragedy or disaster in the local community, Stephen Ministers provide pastors with a fully equipped army of trained caregivers who can be organized within hours to provide crisis care. Stephen Ministers have played key roles in caring for those deeply affected by natural or human-caused disasters, such as tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, the Oklahoma City bombing, the Columbine shootings, or the 9/11 terrorist attacks. When events of this magnitude occur, churches are overwhelmed with needs for care, and Stephen Ministers multiply the reach of pastors. Numerous pastors have told us how helpful it has been to be able to quickly mobilize scores of Stephen Ministers--currently active as well as retired--to assist them in providing much needed care in and around the congregation in the aftermath of a crisis.

More Care-Conscious Congregation

Congregation members sometimes have the unrealistic expectation that the pastor will somehow automatically know (whether by telepathy or divine revelation) who in the congregation needs care. If a need goes undiscovered, blame falls on the pastor. As Stephen Ministry permeates a church, congregation members come to understand that they all share in the responsibility of recognizing who needs care and helping to connect them to the care they need. More and more people in the congregation begin to watch out for people who need care--and know how to respond. Fewer needs go unnoticed. Members of Stephen Ministry congregations often talk about the warm and positive "caring climate" in their congregation.

Training Applicable to Other Ministries

Many pastors who have attended a Stephen Series Leader's Training Course find that the Stephen Series resources, organizational structure, and systematic approach adapt well to other ministries in the congregation. One pastor summed it up by saying, "The skills and tools I received at the LTC will impact my ministry far beyond just Stephen Ministry. I wish I had attended the LTC years ago!"

Many pastors feel the same way about Stephen Minister training, which pastors often experience by serving as a member of the teaching team along with the other Stephen Leaders in the congregation. Pastors frequently tell us that the practical, Christ-centered, psychologically sound training that Stephen Ministers receive exceeds the caregiving training they received in seminary.

High Quality and Accountability

Because they are ultimately responsible for the overall care in a congregation, pastors appreciate how the Stephen Series system safeguards the quality of care people receive. Stephen Ministers are carefully selected and well trained. They receive their caregiving assignments from the pastor or another Stephen Leader and participate in twice-monthy peer supervision. If a care receiver's needs exceed what is appropriate for Stephen Ministry, the person is referred to a professional caregiver. Pastors can feel confident that their congregaton's Stephen Ministers will provide people with the right type of high quality care.

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