Additional Leadership Resources | Units 1–4
This page looks back at Units 1–4 of the Stephen Leader Training Course, pointing out additional resources to help you succeed in leading your Stephen Ministry.
Unit 1 | Equipping People for Life-Giving Ministry
This unit laid out what Stephen Ministry is all about—the needs it meets in the church, how it extends the pastor’s caring ministry, and the important role Stephen Leaders play in making it a reality.
Key Leader’s Manual Resources
This unit drew on the following in your Leader’s Manual—check out these resources for more ideas.
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L, “Lead a Successful Ministry”
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A Concise Introduction to Stephen Ministry for Pastors and Church Staff (in L-2,—order additional copies here)
Additional Resources from the Stephen Leader Online Toolkit
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Prayers for Affirming Stephen Leaders and Stephen Ministers (L-2): There are several prayers in the L-2 section that can be used for affirming those involved with your congregation’s Stephen Ministry.
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The Missional Value of Christian Care for 21st-Century Congregations (L-2): This article by David A. Paap, Program Director Emeritus from Stephen Ministries St. Louis, explores the crucial need for congregations to provide care to carry out God’s mission—and how Stephen Ministry meets that missional need.
Featured Resources
A variety of items featuring the Caregiver’s Compass are available, such as this poster. These resources can be a powerful way to remind your Stephen Ministers and Stephen Leaders of the importance of being trustworthy, compassionate, full of faith, skilled, and Christ-centered.
Christian Caregiving—a Way of Life gives practical answers to the profound question, “How does my faith make a difference in my caring and relating?” Used in Stephen Minister training, it’s also great for anyone who wants to make Christian care a central part of their life.
Unit 2 | What Stephen Leaders Do in Leading Stephen Ministry
This unit introduced you to the Stephen Ministry system—describing the key components of the system, how they work together to make this ministry happen, and the specific roles Stephen Leaders play in carrying it out.
Key Leader’s Manual Resources
This unit drew on the following in your Leader’s Manual—check out these resources for more ideas.
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S, “The Stephen Ministry System”
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L-1, “Build a Stephen Leader Team”
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L-2, “Pastors as Vital Members of Your Leadership Team”
Additional Resources from the Stephen Leader Online Toolkit
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The Seven-Point Action Strategy Applied to Building a Stephen Leader Team (L-1): This resource provides foundational questions and guidelines for carrying out a strategy to build and strengthen your Stephen Leader Team.
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Building a Stephen Leader Team Sample Action Plan (L-1): This is an example of what your action plan for building a Stephen Leader Team may look like.
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Action Plan (S): Use this form as a framework when you prepare plans for carrying out any part of the Stephen Ministry system.
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Stephen Ministry Timeline (S): Use this timeline to help guide your overall planning for each part of the Stephen Ministry system.
Featured Resources
Leadership Prayers combines Bible verses, prayers, and reflections on 30 leadership issues, offering deep insights into the nature of leadership and the everyday challenges leaders face. It helps leaders trust in God’s presence and creative work in their life and leading.
Quick Team-Building Activities for Busy Managers collects 50 team exercises that can be easily integrated into any meeting, including Stephen Leader Team meetings and Stephen Minister supervision sessions. It provides clear, simple ways to help people grow as a team.
Unit 3 | Publicize, Educate, and Cast a Vision about Stephen Ministry
This unit dug into the first ongoing component of the Stephen Ministry system: spreading the word about your Stephen Ministry and making sure people in your congregation and community always know that you’re available to provide them with one-to-one, quality Christian care.
Key Leader’s Manual Resources
This unit drew on the following in your Leader’s Manual—check out these resources for more ideas.
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S-1, “Publicize, Educate, and Cast a Vision”
Additional Resources from the Stephen Leader Online Toolkit
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S-1, “Publicize, Educate, and Cast a Vision”: There are a variety of resources in the S-1 section to support your publicity efforts, so take some time to explore what’s available.
Featured Resources
A set of resources with the theme “Stephen Ministry—Help, Hope, Healing” is available to help get the word out about your Stephen Ministry. The publicity pack includes brochures, bulletin inserts, and more to publicize your Stephen Ministry in multiple ways. You can also find more publicity resources available here.
Unit 4 | Recruit and Select Stephen Ministers
This unit explored the first periodic component of the Stephen Ministry system: recruiting and selecting people to serve as your team of Stephen Ministers.
Key Leader’s Manual Resources
This unit drew on the following in your Leader’s Manual—check out these resources for more ideas.
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S-2, “Recruit and Select Stephen Ministers”
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S-2A, “Recruiting Stephen Ministers”
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S-2B, “Selecting Stephen Ministers”
Additional Resources from the Stephen Leader Online Toolkit
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“Become a Stephen Minister” (S-2A): Share this webpage with potential Stephen Ministers by pointing them to stephenministries.org/serve—it provides a good initial picture of what this ministry involves and what they’ll get out of it.
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S-2A, “Recruit and Select Stephen Ministers”: There are a variety of additional resources in the S-2A section to help you in your Stephen Minister recruitment efforts.
Featured Resources
Discovering God’s Vision for Your Life is a complete set of spiritual gifts resources, featuring an eight-hour course to help people understand their gifts and put them into action. It’s a great way to find people gifted to serve as Stephen Ministers and Stephen Leaders.
In this Stephen Minister Training Article, Stephen Ministers from many backgrounds share about the blessings of their training. It’s valuable for showing congregation members what Stephen Ministry is about and helping them see themselves in this ministry.
2045 Innerbelt Business Center Drive
St. Louis, Missouri 63114
Phone: (314) 428-2600
Fax: (314) 428-7888
Stephen Ministries is a not-for-profit Christian education organization founded in 1975 that produces training and resources known for their excellence, practicality, psychological integrity, and theological depth. These resources cover topics such as caring ministry, assertive relating, spiritual gifts discovery, grief support, spiritual growth, and more.
Congregations and other organizations use these resources to strengthen and expand ministry. Individuals use them to improve their ability to relate to and care for others, grow in faith, and journey through life crises. Our 30-person staff is based in St. Louis, Missouri.