Stephen Ministry at Seaside UMC

Stephen Ministers are lay congregation members trained to provide one-to-one care to those experiencing a difficult time in life, such as grief, divorce, job loss, chronic or terminal illness, or relocation.

Stephen Ministers come from all walks of life, but they all share a passion for bringing Christ’s love and care to people during a time of need.

Since 1975, more than 600,000 people from more than 13,000 congregations and other organizations have been trained as Stephen Ministers.

You’ll find Stephen Ministry in congregations from more than 180 Christian denominations, across the U.S. and Canada and in 30 countries. This year, Seaside UMC celebrates 25 years of Stephen Ministry, joining in the larger 50-year anniversary of Stephen Ministry worldwide.

It is a Christian organizataion, founded in St. Louis in 1975. It is a system used by thousands of congregations around the world to provide high quality, Christ centered care to individuals.
Stephen Leaders are church staff, lay leaders, and pastors trained to provide ongoing leadership for their congregation’s Stephen Ministry. They are equipped for this key role through 50 hours of training offered by Stephen Ministry.
Stephen Ministry offers distinctively Christian caregiving. Stephen Ministers are lay congregation members who are recruited, selected, trained, and commissioned to provide confidential one-to-one care to people in our congregation and community. They care for those experiencing a difficult time in life, such as grief, divorce, job loss, chronic, or terminal illness, or relocation.
Stephen Ministries is NOT a ministry that provides professional counseling, gives rides, prepares meals, runs errands, or does household tasks, though Stephen Ministers can provide resources to care receivers to access this help if needed. A key part of Stephen Ministers’ care is that they rely on God for their problems; they focus on the process of caregiving and trust God for the results.