Care Companion Network
A Synod-wide Network of Lay Pastoral Care Providers
The development of this synod-wide Care Companion Network, made up of volunteer lay pastoral care providers trained through either BeFriender Ministry or Stephen Ministry, was made possible by a $30,000 grant from the Siebert Lutheran Foundation to help underwrite 75% of training costs for network leaders, future training cohorts, and ongoing support.
Newly trained Care Companions will receive pastoral care training through BeFriender Ministry, a national, ecumenical non-profit organization that provides leadership training and ongoing support for a listening ministry of care and support in churches, hospitals, senior living communities, and other organizations. Visit befrienderministry.org to learn more about the training organization. Those with prior training in Stephen Ministry are also welcome to join the Care Companion Network.
Care Companion Training Applications are open now!
Care Companion will participate in BeFriender Ministry Training facilitated by our Synod Care Companion leadership and training team.
You do not need to have prior experience to apply to be a Care Companion, but you do need to be willing to commit time to attend the training and participate in monthly and/or quarterly group gatherings as well as being committed to learning, listening, collaborating, and sharing with others,
These trainings are facilitated by local leaders and underwritten by a grant from the Siebert Lutheran Foundation, so registration is only $25 per person.
Note: You must apply through the synod’s application process. Do not apply through the BeFriender Ministry website, as the synod’s training sessions are not listed publicly.
Next Cohort: Saturday, March 29 and Saturday, April 4 from 8:30am to 5:00pm at the synod office. You must attend both days.
Questions? Contact Pastor Dione Stepanek for more information.
How the Care Companion Network Came to Be
In response to requests from pastors and lay leaders across our synod to respond to our changing world and meet the pastoral care needs of our congregations and communities, the La Crosse Area Synod is excited to announce the launch of a Synod Care Companion Network to be made up of trained lay pastoral care providers.
Thanks to a generous $30,000 grant from the Lutheran Siebert Foundation, we have partnered with BeFriender Ministry to provide quality pastoral care training for lay people throughout this synod and develop a network between care providers in the synod. This network will equip lay leaders to respond to the needs of the community, claim ownership of the caring ministries of the church in partnership with pastors, and build relationships within and between congregations as we mutually seek to care for God's people.
Trained pastoral care leaders will be known as "Care Companions" across the synod. While our granted program partners with BeFriender Ministry for newly trained Care Companions, as the network of Care Companions is developed, those currently serving in congregations with training through Stephen Ministry will also be heartily welcomed into gatherings and network opportunities as well in the months to come.
If you are interested in participating, please fill out the application form at this link. There are several reflection questions included, so you may wish to answer the questions in a Word document and paste them into the online form once you are ready, since answers cannot be saved in the form and returned to later. You can view a sample PDF of the application here.
If you have any questions, please contact Pastor Dione Stepanek at the synod office for more information.