Stephen Ministries
Stephen Ministries is a St. Louis-based not-for-profit founded in 1975 that produces Christian education resources, books, and training courses equipping lay caregivers in 14,000+ congregations across 190+ denominations to provide one-to-one grief and crisis support.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1975
- HeadquartersSt Louis, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Stephen Ministries does
Stephen Ministries is a not-for-profit Christian education organization founded in 1975 by Rev. Dr. Kenneth C. Haugk and headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. It produces and distributes training curricula, books, courses, and supporting resources for lay-led caregiving ministry in Christian congregations, with subject-matter coverage spanning caring ministry, grief support, cancer support, empathy development, assertiveness, spiritual gifts discovery, and church conflict management. Its flagship offering is the Stephen Ministry system — a structured program that equips congregation members as Stephen Ministers and trains pastors/lay leaders as Stephen Leaders to organize, supervise, and deliver one-to-one Christ-centered care to people in crisis.
The commercial operation runs through a direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront at stephenministries.org, supplemented by bulk-pricing tiers for congregational orders and international shipping. Product revenue streams include one-time book sales (paperbacks typically $7.95–$18.95 with volume discounts), course kits such as the Caring Evangelism Complete Leader's Package ($59.95) and Caring for Inactive Members Leader's Teaching Kit ($49.95), and branded merchandise ranging from $0.45 to $150. Marketing channels are content-led: a content website, YouTube presence featuring care-receiver testimonials, email newsletters, and event-based engagement including a 2025-2026 U.S. 50th Anniversary Tour. Distribution is single-channel (owned storefront) with no third-party retail, marketplace, or app presence.
Stephen Ministries firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Stephen Ministries
- Legal name
- Stephen Ministries
- Website
- https://www.stephenministries.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1975
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Stephen Ministries is a St. Louis-based not-for-profit founded in 1975 that produces Christian education resources, books, and training courses equipping lay caregivers in 14,000+ congregations across 190+ denominations to provide one-to-one grief and crisis support.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Stephen Ministries industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Christian Education and Ministry Training
- NAICS
- Religious Organizations (8131), Religious Organizations (813110)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Faith-Based Education & Formation (Seminaries, Religious Schools, Catechesis) (BPAGAJAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Sermon, Homiletics & Ministry Resource Publishing (Preaching Aids, Pastoral Resources) (MPAJAHAD)
Keywords
Where Stephen Ministries is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- St Louis
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Stephen Ministries business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Book Sales: Stephen Ministries publishes and sells books on topics including caring ministry, grief support, empathy, Christian caregiving, and church leadership. Books are sold directly through their online store with volume discounts available for bulk orders.
- Courses and Training Materials: The organization offers courses such as Discovering God's Vision for Your Life, Caring Evangelism, Caring for Inactive Members, and Antagonists in the Church. Each course includes leader guides, participant manuals, and administrative handbooks sold as complete packages or individual components.
- Stephen Ministry Merchandise: Sale of branded merchandise including apparel, pins, mugs, stationery, posters, brochures, balloons, tote bags, stained glass items, and other specialty items that support Stephen Ministry awareness and training.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | The Gift of Empathy - $14.95 paperback |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Cancer—Now What? - Volume discounts |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Journeying through Grief - Volume discounts |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Caring Assertiveness - $15.95 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Antagonists in the Church - Second Edition |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Stephen Ministry Training Resources |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Caring Evangelism Complete Leader's Package |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Caring for Inactive Members Leader's Teaching Kit |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Stephen Ministries product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Stephen Ministries develops, publishes, and sells Christian education and caregiving resources, including books, training courses, and curriculum that equip congregations and individuals for one-to-one Christ-centered care. The flagship Stephen Ministry program provides a systematic, structured approach to organizing, training, and sustaining lay caring ministry within local congregations through trained Stephen Leaders and Stephen Ministers.
Product overview
Stephen Ministries offers a comprehensive suite of Christian education resources centered around its core Stephen Ministry program—a one-to-one lay caring ministry system. The portfolio includes published books covering topics such as grief support (Journeying through Grief), empathy (The Gift of Empathy), cancer support (Cancer—Now What?), caregiving (Christian Caregiving—A Way of Life, Caring Assertiveness), and church conflict management (Antagonists in the Church, Leader Killers). The organization also provides courses including Spiritual Gifts Discovery, Caring Evangelism, Caring for Inactive Members, and Antagonists in the Church. These products serve congregations, pastors, Stephen Leaders, Stephen Ministers, and individuals seeking to improve their caring and relating skills.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Don't Sing Songs to a Heavy Heart
- Christian Caregiving—A Way of Life
- Antagonists in the Church
- Leader Killers
- Joy Comes with the Morning
- Cries of Faith, Songs of Hope
- Journeying through Grief
- The Gift of Empathy
- Cancer—Now What?
- Caring Assertiveness
- Stephen Ministry Program
- Stephen Leader Training Course
- Spiritual Gifts Discovery Course
- Caring Evangelism Course
- Caring for Inactive Members Course
- Antagonists in the Church Course
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 1.5 million care receivers have received one-to-one care from Stephen Ministers
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Stephen Ministries
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Stephen Ministries technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Stephen Ministries partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Stephen Ministries competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Christianity Today: Major Christian media and publishing organization serving pastors and church leaders with magazines, books, and training resources. Direct overlap with Stephen Ministries in providing content and resources to equip congregations and Christian leaders.
- Group Publishing: Christian education and curriculum publisher producing VBS, Sunday school, and small-group resources for churches. Comparable to Stephen Ministries as a direct-to-church content and training resource provider.
- ChurchSmart Resources: Church leadership training and resource company offering books, conferences, and tools for pastors and staff. Closely comparable business model to Stephen Ministries' training and book products for church leaders.
- Outreach Magazine: Resource and media platform serving churches on outreach, growth, and discipleship with books, conferences, and content. Comparable to Stephen Ministries as a faith-based publisher equipping congregations.
Broad incumbents
- Abingdon Press: Established publishing arm of the United Methodist Church producing Christian books, curriculum, and leadership resources. Overlaps with Stephen Ministries in Christian publishing and pastoral training content.
- Tyndale House Publishers: Major evangelical Christian publisher of Bibles, books, and ministry resources. Comparable in faith-based publishing and resource distribution to churches and individuals.
- B&H Publishing Group: Publishing arm of LifeWay Christian Resources (Southern Baptist Convention) producing books, academic works, and ministry resources. Comparable to Stephen Ministries as a denomination-affiliated Christian publisher.
- David C Cook: Established Christian publisher and ministry organization producing curriculum, books, and resources for churches globally. Comparable to Stephen Ministries in serving congregations with training and content.
- Compassion International: Large Christian nonprofit providing child sponsorship, ministry programs, and faith-based services globally. Comparable to Stephen Ministries as a faith-based nonprofit delivering care through organized programs.
Regional players
- Wesleyan Publishing House: Publishing house of The Wesleyan Church producing Christian education, theology, and discipleship materials. Comparable to Stephen Ministries in producing denominationally-rooted Christian education resources.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Stephen Ministries social profiles
Digital presenceStephen Ministries financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Stephen Ministries leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Stephen Ministries funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Stephen Ministries M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Stephen Ministries
What does Stephen Ministries do?
Stephen Ministries develops, publishes, and sells Christian education and caregiving resources, including books, training courses, and curriculum that equip congregations and individuals for one-to-one Christ-centered care. The flagship Stephen Ministry program provides a systematic, structured approach to organizing, training, and sustaining lay caring ministry within local congregations through trained Stephen Leaders and Stephen Ministers.
Is Stephen Ministries a public or private company?
Stephen Ministries is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Stephen Ministries founded?
Stephen Ministries was founded in 1975. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Stephen Ministries based?
Stephen Ministries is headquartered in St Louis, United States, in the North America region.
How does Stephen Ministries make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Book Sales are the primary driver. The others are courses and Training Materials and stephen Ministry Merchandise.
Who are Stephen Ministries's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Christianity Today, Group Publishing, ChurchSmart Resources and Outreach Magazine. Broad incumbents are Abingdon Press, Tyndale House Publishers, B&H Publishing Group, David C Cook and Compassion International. Wesleyan Publishing House is listed as a regional player.
Does Stephen Ministries have an API?
No public API is recorded for Stephen Ministries.
What industry is Stephen Ministries in?
Stephen Ministries's product category is Christian Education and Ministry Training. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAJAD, Faith-Based Education & Formation (Seminaries, Religious Schools, Catechesis), with a secondary code of MPAJAHAD, Sermon, Homiletics & Ministry Resource Publishing (Preaching Aids, Pastoral Resources). Its NAICS code is 8131 and its SIC code is 8200.