Volunteer Sign-up for Stephen Ministry
 
Your interest in serving in this Christ-centered caring ministry is greatly appreciated. Many folks in the SUMC congregation and in the surrounding community are in need of support and encouragement to bear the struggles of life’s difficult circumstances. A Stephen Minister can often be the source of strength and hope that brings comfort to someone in the midst of deep personal difficulties.
 
Before completing the requested information below, please read the following brief Stephen Minister Job Description to help you best determine if God has been preparing your heart and leading you to this wonderful work.
 
Stephen Minister Job Description
  • A Stephen Minister is a member of SUMC trained and commissioned to provide one-on-one lay Christian care to an individual of the same gender who is experiencing a personal crisis or other difficult situation;      
  • A Stephen Minister is a caring Christian friend who walks with a person in need while he/she is facing some of life’s difficult circumstances;
  • A Stephen Minister is commissioned on behalf of the SUMC pastoral staff and congregation to serve a minimum of 24 months after receiving 50 hours of extensive classroom training  (Click here to view a typical Stephen Ministry training class schedule.);
  • A Stephen Minister typically meets with his/her care receiver once each week for about 1 hour and may also provide additional support by telephone while the care receiver is experiencing particularly lonely, stressful, or confusing times;
  •  A Stephen Minister uses special skills to care for his/her care receiver such as listening as the care receiver talks about his/her personal struggles, encouraging the care receiver to recognize, express, and accept his/her feelings, sharing Christian resources (prayer, scripture, blessings) with the care receiver’s permission, remaining process-oriented by focusing on the process of caregiving and avoiding attempts to resolve the care receiver’s problems, maintaining boundaries to help the care receiver preserve his/her independence while providing the care that is needed, and recommending professional care by recognizing when the care receiver’s needs are beyond that which the Stephen Minister is able to provide.
  •  A Stephen Minister is committed to ensure that all personal information regarding each care receiver and caring relationship is kept confidential at all times.
  • A Stephen Minister participates with the entire SUMC Stephen Ministry team twice each month for continuing education sessions and to receive small group peer supervision for support, encouragement, and help in caring for those who are facing personal difficulties.
If you are interested in serving as a Stephen Minister at SUMC, please complete the Stephen Ministry Volunteer Sign-Up Form below.  If you prefer to fill out a paper version of this form, click here.  The form is in PDF format which will require Adobe Acrobat Reader).
 
Stephen Ministry Volunteer Sign-Up Form


Name:

Address:

City:

State:

Zip Code:

Primary Phone:

Alternate Phone:

Email Address:

Are you a member of SUMC?

Please describe why you are interested in serving as a Stephen Minister:

Please list any classes, groups, or ministries in which you have been involved at SUMC within the past 2 years:

What spiritual gifts, strengths, and experiences do you believe God has given you that would help you serve as a Stephen Minister?

In what ways do you think you would personally benefit from training and service as a Stephen Minister?

Please describe your relationship with Jesus Christ:

Based on your current understanding of Stephen Ministry, what aspects of serving as a Stephen Minister do you think would be difficult or challenging for you and explain why?

What does being a Christian mean to you?

Please feel free to share anything else about yourself or your interest in Stephen Ministry:

Commitment Stephen Ministry requires a willingness to devote some time and energy in faithful service, and, as a result, reaps many genuine blessings upon those who serve as well as for those in need. Stephen Ministry involves an initial 50 hours of classroom training, regular weekly visits of approximately 1 hour with your care receiver, and twice monthly peer supervision meetings on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays from 7 – 9:30 p.m. Upon completion of the classroom training, you will be commissioned on behalf of the SUMC pastoral staff and congregation to serve for a minimum of 24 months. Are you willing and able to make the commitment to serve faithfully in this ministry?

Will you commit?
Thank you so much for your interest and for taking the time to complete the Stephen Ministry Volunteer Sign-Up Form! Someone from the SUMC Stephen Ministry team will be in contact with you shortly.