Stephen Ministry is a transdenominational Christian education organization that provides high quality training and resources to strengthen and expand lay ministry in congregations.
Our Mission
The mission of Stephen Ministries is to help congregations equip God's people for spiritual growth and Christ-centered, practical ministry in today's world.
Our History
In 1975 Rev. Kenneth C. Haugk, Ph.D., a pastor and clinical psychologist, saw that people*s needs for care in his congregation and community far exceeded what he alone could provide. He developed materials to train nine of his congregation members to provide quality, one-to-one Christian care to individuals experiencing a life crisis. Upon completion of their training, he commissioned them as *Stephen Ministers* and linked them with people with a variety of needs for care. *Stephen Ministry* was so successful in his church that other congregations wanted to become involved. Dr. Haugk then founded the Stephen Ministries organization and developed the Stephen Series, which now has been implemented in more than 9,000 congregations representing more than 100 Christian denominations.
More than 450,000 laypersons have been trained as Stephen Ministers, who in turn have ministered to nearly a million care receivers.
After more than four years of development, Stephen Ministries launched the ChristCare Series system of small group ministry in 1996. Today more than 800 congregations are using ChristCare Group Ministry.
The Stephen Ministries Center was dedicated to the glory of God on May 3, 1998, and is the first permanent home for Stephen Ministries since it was founded in 1975. This new 38,015 sq. ft. facility gives Stephen Ministries the capacity to serve the church more effectively in the twenty-first century.
