Stephen Ministry is a Christian-based program which was begun in St. Louis in 1975 by Dr. Kenneth Haugk, a pastor who saw that people's needs for care far exceeded what he alone could provide. He developed materials to train nine of his congregants. Upon finishing their training, he commissioned them as "Stephen Ministers," based on the life of St. Stephen, the first care giver mentioned in the Bible.

More than 9,000 congregations in the United States and abroad, representing more than 100 denominations, have sent more than 450,000 lay persons for training as Stephen Ministers since its inception.

For more information about Stephen Ministry, you may visit the Stephen Ministries web page at www.stephenministries.org.