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Stephen Ministry--
Church Members Help Other People Dealing with Crises
By Michelle Reagan
Jefferson City News Tribune
Jefferson City, Missouri
Friday, March 2, 2001
To fulfill Jesus' direction to "bear one another's burdens" (Gal. 6:2), lay people at Faith Lutheran Church, 2027 Industrial Dr., have committed time and talent to 50 hours of training to be intentional friends to individuals struggling with a life crisis.
"It's easy for grieving, hurting people to fall through the cracks," said Inge Linsenbardt, leader of the newly commissioned Stephen Ministry. "We hope this ministry is the glue to keep them from falling."
With 900 members, Pastor Tony Alter said it is difficult for a pastor to sincerely get to know all members and their specific needs. Stephen Ministry supplements the pastoral staff and offers the gift of devotion to those in crisis.
Stephen Ministers are not counselors, but trained caregivers. They minister in times of trouble, such as employment, health, family or spiritual crises, by listening and allowing people to express their feelings.
"We do not provide magical cures," Linsenbardt said. "We listen and care and God takes care of the rest. We are caregivers and God is the cure-giver."
The ministers do not try to solve a person's problems, but allow God to minister through them, Linsenbardt said.
"A Stephen Minister shares another person's difficult times, listens to them, shares their challenges and pains and prays for them," Linsenbardt said. "They do not try to tell them what to do. We believe that God will care for them and guide them. What we do is walk alongside them as a caring Christian friend."
Although often emotionally draining, being intentional friends has its benefits, too, Alter said. The satisfaction of being used by God and helping a fellow human is peculiar, but rewarding, he said. The issues discussed between a Stephen Minister and a care-receiver are kept in confidence. Even at the bi-monthly support meetings for the ministers, when they share their experiences, specific information is not given.
The ministry is not intended to be long-term, but only through a season in the care-receiver's life. If the needs are serious or more in-depth, a person is referred to a professional.
Stephen Ministry is named after the early church disciple sent out by the Apostles to minister to the needs of the church as a layman, not as a pastor. And, according to the book of Acts, as the early church's ministry grew, Faith Lutheran hopes its newest ministry also will grow.
The first 12 Stephen Ministers at Faith Lutheran Church were commissioned Feb. 25. First United Methodist Church, has used Stephen Ministers since 1997.