Stephen Ministries

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.

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

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

• Caregiving courses
• Christian education resources
• Lay ministry training
• Grief support books
• Church leadership training

Headquarters

HQ city

St Louis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core 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

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct 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

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/StephenMinistries
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stephen-ministries

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Stephen Ministries