Stephen Ministry

Our Stephen Ministry offers HELP, HOPE & HEALING
Our Stephen Ministry Team at Family of Christ is dedicated to putting God's love in action. Please contact the Church Office or one of our Stephen Leaders if you are interested in learning more about the process of becoming a Stephen Minister OR if you would like to request help from a Stephen Minister. CJ Bohn is our Senior Stephen Leader at FOC. You can reach him via email or phone:

Our other wonderful FOC Stephen Leaders are Andrea Van Bergen, Tami New & Bill Dahl.


ABOUT THE STEPHEN MINISTRY

Stephen Ministry has been around since 1975. However, FOC’s first Stephen Leader was trained in 2014, and our first class of Stephen Ministers was trained & commissioned in 2015.

Stephen Ministers augment Pastoral and Elder Care for congregation members by meeting the additional care needs of those in our congregation and community.

Stephen Ministers support only members of the same gender: men for men, women for women.

Stephen Ministers complete ~50 hours of Christ-centered training that combines pre-class reading, devotions, lecture, video presentations, discussion, and skill-developing “scenario” practice. These essential relational caring skills provide insights into thoughts, feelings, actions and needs of people who are hurting! 

Stephen Ministers are the “care givers” for their “care receivers,” but only God is the “Cure Giver.”

FOC’s Stephen Ministers offers high-quality, confidential one-to-one Christian care to people going through tough times such as grieving over the death of a loved one, divorce, job loss, chronic or terminal illness, relocation, separation due to military deployment, and more.  

WHAT DOES A STEPHEN MINISTER DO?

  • Stephen Ministers normally care for only one “care receiver” at a time, meeting in person at least once a week for about an hour. As necessary, face-to-face meetings are augmented with email, phone calls, and/or text exchanges.
  • Stephen Ministers listen and ask reflective questions to ensure understanding of the care receiver’s needs; they do NOT offer solutions!
  • Stephen Ministers pray with their care receivers and read from the Bible as necessary.
  • Twice a month, Stephen Ministers gather with their Stephen Leaders for supervision and continuing education.
  • Stephen Ministers do NOT offer legal, medical, or financial advice.

CONFIDENTIALITY

 Stephen Ministers keep personal information confidential. Therefore, you can feel free to share with your Stephen Minister without worrying that everyone else will know about it. The only time Stephen Ministers may legally BREAK confidentiality is when suicide, homicide, or physical abuse is suspected or imminent.

CONTACT

To request a meeting with a Stephen Minister or to find out more information, please contact FOC's Senior Stephen Leader, CJ Bohn at