on February 14, 2012
When Life Feels Like It’s On a Roll
Sometimes you may feel like life is a big gamble. Like the outcome of your life is resting on how the dice roll for you. If they roll right, you get ...
Stephen Ministry
A Caring Ministry Offered by the Greenville Oaks Church of Christ
Information about the Stephen Ministry
Founded in 1975 by Dr. Ken Haugk, Stephen Ministry was his solution to the problem that there were large numbers of people needing care but only a limited number of pastors and ministers available to provide the needed care. Stephen Ministry trains congregation members to provide high-quality Christian care to people who are struggling with life events.
This approach has proven to be widely successful. Today, there are over 11,000 congregations spanning 25 countries and 160 different faith groups that have a Stephen Ministry. Over 60,000 people have trained as Stephen Leaders to lead their congregation’s ministry. Over 500,000 volunteers have trained to provide care as a Stephen Minister.
Stephen Leaders at Greenville Oaks:
Vance Reaves and Gerry Smith attended a Stephen Leaders training conference in July 2011 to prepare for establishing a Stephen Ministry at Greenville Oaks. Joining them on the leadership team are Donna Veale and Kip Stehling. Each of the team members has made a commitment to lead this ministry for a minimum of two years.
Goals of the Stephen Ministry at Greenville Oaks:
- Provide confidential, high-quality, one-to-one Christian care to individuals experiencing difficulties in their lives.
- Serve those within our own congregation as well as reach out to those hurting around us.
- Understand that we are care givers and that God is the cure-giver. We are all broken people and that we are only made whole through the cross of Jesus.
- Raise the level of awareness for the need to care for one another and bear one another’s burdens.
- Effectively equip and support members of our congregation to provide high-quality Christian care.
Greenville Oaks Values and Stephen Ministry:
In reviewing the core values and the mission and vision statements of Greenville Oaks, it is apparent that the Stephen Ministry is fully congruent with the direction of the congregation and can specifically assist the congregation with achieving its vision. For an in-depth review of how Greenville Oaks' core values, mission statement and vision statement align with the Stephen Ministry, please click here.
Information about Stephen Ministers
Who are Stephen Ministry care recipients?