Inside and Outside the Walls: Plan to Occupy with the Five Thrusts

An Overview of the Five Prison Ministry Components

In-Prison Ministry
I was a prisoner and you invited me in. The prison chaplains invite the local church ministry team to visit “the congregation behind walls.” This is where the offender’s discipleship begins, under the headship of the chaplain.

Prisoners’ Families
Each incarcerated individual leaves a family at home who suffers. Whether the family suffers hardship, shame or loneliness, the local church ministry can visit and assist those who are marginalized at home.

Aftercare
This is where real discipleship takes place. On being released from prison, some disciples will come to the local church. Church members can help ex-offenders meet the various challenges of re-entering the community.

Pen Pal
Most prisoners receive infrequent or no visits from family and friends. Even those who receive frequent visits seldom have an uplifting, Christ-centered visit. Letters or cards from local church pen pals have a far-reaching ‘visiting’ impact.

Prayer Ministry
Most members of the local congregation will not actually participate in the Prison Ministry. Nevertheless, any member can participate in focused prayer for the inmates, their families, and the ministry team itself.

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Prison Ministry Brief

Let this be clear from the outset. None of this brief would be possible were it not for those who have gone before us. Most notable are two apostolic bodies, which deserve all the credit for the following impartation and information – Prison Fellowship and American Chaplaincy Training School. See the preceding overview for a thumbnail sketch of a comprehensive, five-part local church prison ministry.

In-Prison Ministry is the first and most obvious component or thrust of a local church prison ministry. Prerequisites to individual members becoming ministers of an in-prison ministry team include security clearance, then proper training and supervision. In-prison ministers from the local church provide helping hands to the various prison chaplains who pastor behind-the-wall congregations. We partner with those chaplains in bringing the Gospel to potential converts and also in providing born again prisoners with disciple-growth teaching and biblical counseling. The bottom line for in-prison ministry members is to serve the chaplain and to submit to all Department of Correction security guidelines. The work of evangelizing and discipling can only take place within that servant mindset and that rendering unto Caesar.

Without the other four components in place however, the in-prison ministry effort seldom bears lasting fruit. In fact, only one or two inmates out of every hundred chapel-goers will be released and become mature disciples.