Immanuel Baptist Church 1100 Finch Ave. East Toronto, Ontario, Canada M2J 2X4

Stephen Ministry

This ministry is about... Stephen Ministry is one of several caring ministries provided by specially trained people from the congregation and focused on those who are undergoing serious life-changing crises. Members of the congregation, known as Stephen Ministers (named after the apostle, Stephen) who have successfully taken a 50 hour training program come alongside individuals who have requested one-to-one help for a serious need that has developed in their lives, such as dealing with the loss of a loved one, hospitalization, depression, loneliness, divorce, loss of a job, and many other life crises. This ministry augments other caring ministries, such as the Congregational Care Committee, or counselling care provided by the pastors, to provide a continuum of care according to the severity of need. Historical Background This ministry began at Immanuel Baptist Church back in 1997, after the Pastor and a layperson traveled to Seattle to take Stephen Leader training. Three teams of Stephen Ministers, with a total of 22 people have since been trained, and four additional Stephen Leaders have also become qualified. Stephen Ministers make a commitment to serve for a two-year term, after which they may choose to take a sabbatical. They take no credit for the positive changes they see in the lives of their care receivers. They say that they provide the care, but God provides the "cure". Integrity and Confidentiality All Stephen Ministers have received their training from our own church leaders who have successfully passed an intensive Stephen Leaders course given by the Stephen Ministries organization of St. Louis, MO. The Stephen Ministers are supported throughout their caring relationships with their care receivers by regular meetings every two or three weeks in small-group supervision sessions led by the Stephen Leaders. The names of those in care are never revealed, even in these sessions. The focus instead is on how to improve the nature of the caring relationship so that Christ’s healing touch may be evident to the individual in need. How is the ministry accessed? Church members who find that they might need someone to help them through such a crisis are assured of the utmost in confidentiality. Self-referrals are made through Pastor Bruce who will assess what the most appropriate kind of care might be needed, and if it should be met by a Stephen Minister or in some other way. Stephen Ministers try to meet with their care receivers every week. A caring relationship between a care receiver and a Stephen Minister could last up to a year or two, depending on the need.

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