Stephen Ministry Training Scholarships are available annually to Pacifica Synod congregational lay leaders to support attendance at the Stephen Ministry Leader’s 
Training Course typically held in Anaheim during the month of February. This scholarship is made possible by the Cathryn W. Wright Bequest specifically designated for Stephen Ministry lay leaders. It is expected that congregations send a pastor and two to four lay leaders for the training.
Due to the pandemic, the Stephen Ministries organization is offering a new way to equip Stephen Ministry leaders during this time, when it isn’t possible to attend an in-person Leader’s Training Course.
The Bridge Leader’s Training Course (BLTC) is an interactive online training experience to equip laypeople, pastors, and other church staff as “Stephen Leaders,” the ones who lead Stephen Ministry in your congregation. Participants meet over Zoom in cohorts of 20 people with two experienced trainers from Stephen Ministries for highly personalized training. During ten 2½-hour sessions over the course of five or ten weeks, trainees learn through presentations, discussions, videos, breakout activities, Q&A times, and more, gaining the knowledge and tools they need to lead Stephen Ministry in their church.
For more details about the BLTC, visit www.stephenministries.org/bridge or call (314) 428-2600 and ask to speak to someone on the Distance Learning Team.
The typical BLTC schedule involves two sessions a week for 5 weeks or one session per week for 10 weeks. Five-week cohorts may be on a Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday schedule, with different cohorts meeting either in the morning, or afternoon, or evening. Sessions are delivered via Zoom. New cohorts start on a regular basis and fill up quickly.
Despite the change to the format of this training, the Pacifica Synod is still offering scholarships to offset the cost for lay leaders to attend this online training. Details and the application are listed below.
The synod scholarship program will provide the following:
1. $800 scholarship per lay leader, available for up to three lay leaders per congregation.
2. $1,000 per congregation toward your congregation’s enrollment in the Stephen Series, if not currently enrolled. The Leader’s Training Course is designed for congregations enrolled in the Stephen Series.
The current 2022 application period is ongoing as new, online sessions are added by the Stephen Ministries organization. Click here to download an application.
