Stephen Ministry

Stephen Ministry is a new ministry at Collierville United Methodist Church. The mission of our Stephen Ministry team is "to show God's love through Christian caring." If you are interested in becoming a Stephen Minister please fill out the Stephen Minister application and return it to the church office. To contact the Stephen Leaders team directly, email them at cumcstephenleader@gmail.com. All correspondence is kept confidential. To learn more about Stephen Ministries, visit the national website at http://www.stephenministries.org/.

Frequently Asked Questions

What excatly is Stephen Ministry? - Stephen Ministry is a ministry in our congregation in which trained and supervised lay persons, called Stephen Ministers, provide one-to-one Christian care to individuals facing life challenges or difficulties.

Who is involved? - Stephen Leaders are the ones who oversee and direct our Stephen Ministry. They recruit, select, train, organize, and supervise our Stephen Ministers, identify people in need of care, and match them with a Stephen Minister. We have three Stephen Leaders. They are: Carol Ingram, Kristofer Roof, and Celeste Yanes.

Stephen Ministers are the caregivers. They will engage in 50 hours of training in Christian caregiving, including general topics such as listening, feelings, boundaries, assertiveness, and using Christian resources in caregiving. In addition, their training will cover specialized topics such as ministering to the divorced, hospitalized, bereaved, and aging. We are currently accepting applications for our first class of Stephen Ministers. If you are interested in becoming a Stephen Minister please fill out the Stephen Minister application and return it to the church office.

Care receivers are the recipients of Stephen Ministers' care. They are people from our church or community who are experiencing divorce, grief, loss of a job, loneliness, hospitalization, terminal illness, or any of a number of other life difficulties. Stephen Ministers ususally meet with their care receivers once a week for about an hour for as long as the care receiver will benefit by the relationship.

What are the responsibilities of a Stephen Minister? - A Stephen Minister has the following responsibilities: A 24-month commitment of service to the program; attendance at and participation in the 50-hour training program; study of the training materials; service as a Stephen Minister (usually involving a one-hour weekly one-to-one visit) for about 18 months following completion of the training program; and participation in twice-monthly supervision meetings for about 18 months following completion of the training program.

If I became a Stephen Minister, what would I do? - Stephen Ministers are assigned to care receivers (people in crisis who need caring support). Stephen Ministers pray daily for their care receivers and provide care for those in moderate difficulties. They understand that confidentiality is crucial in any caring relationship. They help find people who would benefit from the care of a Stephen Minister, and through their service, Stephen Ministers help the congregation appreciate Stephen Ministry and encourage memebers to become ministers of referral who help those in crisis receive the care they need. Lastly, Stephen Ministers participate faithfully in small group peer supervision and continuing education on a regular basis.

The Meaning of the Caregiver's Compass The Caregiver's Compass is a symbol that summarizes the most important characteristics of a Stephen Minister. It guides Stephen Ministers in their caregiving and their learning. Read more about the Caregiver's Compass HERE.

Stephen leaders for cumc

Mrs. Carol Ingram - Stephen Leader Team Coordinator, Suprervision Coordinator - cumcstephenleader@comcast.net

Mr. Kristofer Roof - Referrals Coordinator, Awareness Building Coordinator - kroof@colliervilleumc.org

Mrs. Celeste Yanes - Training Coordinator, Continuing Education Coordinator - cyanes@comcast.net