What should prison ministry look like?

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Prison ministry is largely about evangelism and discipleship, and it provides many opportunities to show (and experience) God’s love. What are some common areas of prison ministry?

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1. In-Prison Ministry

2. Supporting the Families of Prisoners

3. Working with Victims of Crime

4. Helping Prisoners Re-enter the Community

5. Prison Reform

6. Prayer

 

IN-PRISON MINISTRY

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Prison-time can be a period of great despair, idleness, and anxiety. Fueling this is - loss of freedom, separation from family and friends, and living amongst potentially dangerous people. During imprisonment, many come to accept the reality of their sin, a 

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• Visitation: Some ministries involved Christians regularly visiting the prisons and forming friendships. For some prisoners these are the only visitors they get. This is especially true when the family wants to sever the relationship desire for forgiveness, and their dependence on God’s grace.

• Providing Church Services and/or Bible Studies:• Some ministries organize regular in-prison church services. Others organize or facilitate Bible studies amongst the prisoners.

• Mentoring

• Teaching Skills and Preparing the Prisoner for Re-entry into Society

• Letter Writing: Some ministries facilitate letter writing between prisoners and Christians on the 'outside' One convert wrote "I didn’t get letters from the bartenders, the hoodlums and all the wise guys I hung around with. I got letters from Christians I didn’t even know” 

• Equipping and Encouraging Prisoners to Outreach to Other Prisoners. Possibly the best evangelists to prisoners are fellow prisoners (or ex-prisoners)

 

SUPPORTING the FAMILIES of the INCARCERATED

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The family (and friends) of prisoners also suffer. Spouses, partners, or other relatives may be left to take the extra responsibility and financial stress of raising the prisoner’s children. 

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The children themselves must deal with potentially tragic disruptions to their lives – adjusting to a new living environment, being separated from their Mom or Dad, and living with the stigma of have a parent in prison. It is well known that children of prisoners are more likely to engage in criminal behavior further down the track.

Ministries with the families of prisoners may include –

 

• Family visitation and support, 

• Organizing camps for the children

• Providing mentorship for the teens and young adults.

 

WORKING With VICTIMS of CRIME

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If you have ever been a victim of crime or a harsh injustice, you will appreciate the importance of loving and supporting the victims. This is an area that is mainly untapped when considering potential opportunities for ministry.

 

HELPING PRISONERS RE-ENTER the COMMUNITY

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Many former prisoners cannot adjust to life on the outside and return to prison after a few years.  Their problems include:

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• Difficulties finding work

• Financial struggles

• Being unwelcomed by family/friends

• The temptation to mix with bad influencers. 

 

We can help by – ‘adopting’ them into our church community, help them find work, mentoring, visitation, helping them re-establish and perhaps re-invent themselves.

 

PRISON REFORM

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The Bible says to “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute” (Proverbs 31:8).

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As Seventh-day Adventist Christians, we can partner with other Christian organizations in assuring that our that our fellow human beings are treated fairly.

 

PRAYER

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It is essential that all the above ministries are held up in prayer. All prison ministries need more prayer warriors.

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These are just a few areas that we can focus on in developing prison ministries in our territory. All of our prison ministries should not look the same. There are unlimited possibilities for churches of all sizes to carve out just the right niche.