
A Brief History Lesson
Founded in 1975 by Dr Kenneth Haugk, graduate degree in clinical psychology, and newly ordained began a training program for nine members of his congregation. These first Stephen Ministers were a varied group of people with very different backgrounds. A secretary. A teacher. An insurance agent. A businesswoman. A student. An executive. A homemaker. A beautician. A retiree. Two of the first Stephen Ministers felt the program was so valuable they encouraged Dr. Haugk offer the training to others. As a result, the Stephen Ministry program was founded on November 3, 1975.
This program offers confidential, caring ministry to people who are hurting and need reassurance and support.
As the program grew there was a need to form a training program for Stephen Leaders so the program could continue to grow. So, in 1978, the first leader training course was held. The course was designed to train the first Stephen Leaders who could recruit, train, and supervise their own Stephen Ministers.
Today, more than 13,000 congregations have enrolled in Stephen Ministry. They represent 190 Christian denominations from all 50 states in the US, 10 Canadian provinces, and 30 other countries. Over 75,000 people have been trained as Stephen Leaders and more than 600,000 laypersons as Stephen Ministers. The number of people touched by this ministry as care receiver’s numbers in the millions!
If you feel you could benefit from having a Stephen Minister or would like to become involved in the program, please contact either Sue Kuhn or Pastor Trozzo.