White Paper 2012 Revised 6/19/12 How To Start a Prison Ministry By Greg Von Tobel Baptism in a Russian Prison What is the most important step to take before embarking on a journey into prison ministry? Why do we encourage bringing special music groups or drama teams to the institutions? This paper was originally one of three training modules that were written to assist our brothers on foreign soil. However we have just recently found how useful this can be here in the United States for churches and groups who are embarking on this endeavor for the very first time. In this paper, the reader will learn the 5 very important steps to starting a prison ministry. The reader will also learn the steps to approaching an institution for the first time and the best people to contact there. This is a great source of information for the novice volunteer. M I N I S T R I E S, C A L L ( 4 2 5 ) 4 8 3-4 1 5 1 OR V I S I T WWW. P F C O M. O R G 1
Starting a prison Ministry can often be an intimidating and frustrating undertaking. In this paper we will explore the five prerequisites for launching an effective prison ministry. 1. Pray for direction for your life. The first and most essential step in starting a prison ministry or any ministry for that matter is to pray to the Lord for direction and discernment. Prayer is the fundamental weapon for any believer. Without prayer we will waste effort going places and doing things that God never intended. The Old Testament abounds with stirring testimonies of great saints of old who inquired of God before embarking on a mission. This step of inquiring of the Lord is a common part of Biblical decision-making, one that our American culture often overlooks. On the other hand, the Bible contains many examples of those who failed to inquire of the Lord and thereby ran into great problems, often jeopardizing the livelihood and safety of their own families. It is my personal recommendation that you set aside a season of time to dedicate yourself to fasting and prayer before embarking upon your journey into prison ministry. 2. Determine the type of prison ministry to which you are being called. At PFC we have what is called the PFC Life V.E.S.T. Vest is an acronym for the four different divisions of our ministry programs. Each one addresses different needs experienced by prisoners and their families. V stands for Visitation, E for Equip, S for Support and T for Transition. This paper will focus on the first category of Visitation because it concerns aspects of the ministry that are important to consider right from the start. The V division applies to everything that occurs behind the 4 prison walls. In church terminology, this is the evangelism department of the ministry. Prisoners for Christ is a soul winning ministry. The Bible says in Proverbs 11:30 that he who wins souls is wise. Because of this truth as well as the mandate we receive from Christ in the Great Commission, we strive to make soul winning a top priority. In fact, it is our 2
desire that soul-winning would permeate every aspect of the ministry. To that end, we even offer a training module at our Prisoners for Christ University called Delivering an Effective Altar Call. We do everything we can to instruct and sometimes even hammer into the heads of our group leaders, the importance of winning people to the Lord. After all, the main reason for our ministry is to snatch the very souls of men from the burning fires of hell. In the Visitation (evangelism) division we have several different outreaches which provide a good starting point for involvement with the ministry. A. Small Group Bible Study: There can be as few as three inmates or as many as twenty in a small group Bible study. This small group setting is modeled much like the cell group or home fellowship group meetings in the homes of our local churches. The small group meeting can either occur in a jail environment or a prison environment. Groups meeting in a jail environment will typically focus upon evangelism while small groups in a prison setting tend to concentrate on discipleship. Before embarking on one or the other it would be wise to read and understand the Position Paper entitled The Differences between Ministering in the Jail Environment and the Prison Environment (under construction). B. Church Services: In many of the institutions where PFC is involved, we are able, with the permission of the chaplain, to conduct full fledged church services. Although church services by nature should be primarily directed towards teaching and discipleship, an altar call should never be neglected. The component parts of a church service are the following: 1. Greeting and Fellowship 2. Worship: Worship services should consist of 20-30 minutes of leading the inmates in worship songs. 3. Sermon: One person on the team should be designated in advance to deliver a sermon to the group.. 3
4. Altar Call: An effective altar call should never be overlooked. You do not know the heart of a man nor do you think you know the condition of his soul. 5. Fellowship: This too should never be overlooked. It is so important to allocate enough time for healthy relationship building. C. Concerts: There are three types of individuals in prison: (1) those that will come out to a church service, (2) those that will not come to a church service, but might attend a special event or concert, and (3) those that will not do either. As lay ministers we must know our target group and design programs around that group. Bringing out a special music group or drama team will increase inmate attendance dramatically. We have no problem with this approach because we know that it will bring many more people who will end up staying to hear the Gospel being presented through the testimonies and altar call at the conclusion of the program. D. Crusades: Crusades are major events for everyone involved: the inmates, the staff of the institution, and the volunteer group sponsoring it. Because there are so many details to consider when planning a crusade, it can take up to a year to complete all the preparations. It is wise for a volunteer to wait until they have been in prison ministry for a number of years before attempting conduct a crusade. What is more, this kind of outreach requires vast administrative and organizational skills. If volunteers are not gifted in either of these areas, they should not attempt a project of this magnitude. 3. Research the institutions near you. In starting a prison ministry, whether here in the states or abroad, it is important to determine where the institutions are located and how close they are to your home. It is important to ask yourself questions like: How far do I want to drive?, What types of 4
institutions are they: jails, prisons or juvenile institutions?, What are the needs of the chaplains?, Am I interested in evangelism, discipleship, preaching or teaching?. These are all questions that must first be asked before determining what institutions you will choose for your ministry. Once you have determined the institution where you desire to volunteer, you then need to make contact with someone at that institution. Listed below are 4 possibilities for the individuals with whom you may or many not come in contact. A. The Chaplain: The Chaplain is the volunteer s first contact with the institution. They are God ordained authority figures who are underpaid and overworked. Volunteers become an extension of the Chaplain s ministry. It is very important that volunteers have the utmost respect for the Chaplains of each of institution and realize that they are the ones with an expert knowledge of the important ins and outs of their facility. B. The Program Director: The Chaplain in most institutions is underneath the authority of the program director. If there is both a program director and chaplain, the first line of communication should still be with the Chaplain. If there is no Chaplain then it will be necessary to make contact with the Program director. While Chaplains are most interested in the spiritual well being of the institution, program directors are most concerned with the overall quality of all the programs at the institution. C. Lay Chaplain: If the institution does not have a chaplain or program director then you must determine if there is a Lay Chaplain. This is a person who most likely works 15-20 hours a week volunteering without pay to keep the religious program running. Keep in mind that these are volunteers who most likely do not maintain regular hours or have the gifts of administration and organization. D. Officer in charge: If all else fails, the last person on the totem poll is the officer or sergeant in charge. Like so many prison workers, these individuals are overworked and generally do not place helping volunteers at the top of their priority list. Some appreciate the presence of volunteers and some do not. 5
4. Recruit others to come with you Jesus set the example as He sent His disciples out two by two. I do not believe in the Lone Ranger Christian. The Bible says that it is important to know that prison ministry is a front line ministry which will come under unbelievable attack from the enemy as volunteers step forth onto the enemy s sand box. Therefore it is very important to be a part of a team. At PFC we never start an outreach with less than 4 people on a team. It is important to understand the busyness of our volunteer s lives. There will be illnesses, family crises, vacation and other commitments which will cause a volunteer not to be able to make their commitment on any particular night. Most institutions in the States require a minimum team size of two volunteers. This is not the case on foreign soil where people can go in alone. However even when on foreign soil, PFC teaches that we should follow the example that Jesus set of going out two by two. Ecclesiastes 4:9 reinforces this principle: Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work; if one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. 5. Have a vision for growing the ministry The Bible says that without a vision the people will perish (Proverbs 29:18). I believe this with all of my heart! Here at PFC we often joke that we have been given more vision than we can handle. Our vision cup overfloweth! We also believe that if you are not growing, you are going backward. Pray that the Lord will give you fresh vision to reach more and more inmates for the cause of Christ. Through the power of the Holy Spirit you will be able to stand firm and press on. In Isaiah 40 the Bible promises that those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Be blessed as you embark in a remarkable walk of faith as you uncover your inner potential in ministering to the least of the least. 6
In Closing Let me take just a few more minutes of your time and tell you a little more about Prisoners for Christ. PFC is a ministry dedicated to taking the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the institutions of the World. As of the close of 2011, we currently have over 1,200 volunteers world wide and growing everyday. Last year our volunteers conducted an average of 267 church services per month, almost 9 per day. PFC had over 611,507 inmates attend our services last year with over 179,621 men, women and children accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The Lord has seen fit to expand our territories by allowing us to go to the four corners of the world with field offices in 8 different foreign countries, including Russia, Kenya, Burundi, Congo, Uganda, Ghana, Rwanda, India with more countries soon to come on line in the next 18 months. Our major objective is to win souls to Christ. Our secondary objective is to equip the saints. Whether you are a single volunteer going into an institution, or whether you are a part of a group of a larger team, or even perhaps a volunteer in your church s prison outreach, we are interested in you! We are interested in your development as a minister of the Gospel. So please avail yourself of our training and printed resources! If the Lord should ever tug on your heart to be a part of the PFC Team worldwide, we have a number of opportunities of involvement for you. First, if the Lord should tug on your heart to jump on board with us as a financial partner, please do so. We would be very excited for you to share in the rewards of this ministry. Our faithful committed monthly partners are the lifeblood of this ministry. We do not charge for any of our training material. Our hearts desire is to equip the saints to do good works. All that we have, and all that we are, are gifts from God to be used for His glory. Our resources are to be released back to the church body for His use through you. 7
If you were blessed by this course, you can donate either through mailing a check to our PFC offices or on line through our web page. The second way you can become involved is to become a volunteer: 1. You can be a PFC Volunteer anywhere in the world. You can join the PFC team whether you are here in the United States or elsewhere in the world. 2. You might consider becoming a PFC Area representative or church leader in your geographic metropolitan area. This is for those who have been in prison ministry for three or more years and have the hearts desire to take their leadership to the next level. 3. Or perhaps you have been doing prison ministry for some time and now the Lord is tugging on your heart to become a Full Time Prison Missionary. By all means, please get in contact with us as we have a training course for those who are interested in going into full time ministry. Regardless of whether you are here in the United States or a person in another part of the world, please consider joining the family of PFC. However, if you are a part of another prison ministry, stay where you are at and be the best prison ministry volunteer for that organization, in other words Bloom where you are planted! Feel free to connect with us in one of 4 ways: 1. Mailing address: Prisoners for Christ (PFC) PO Box 1530 Woodinville, WA 98072 2. Web Page: www.pfcom.org 3. Phone: 425 483-4151 4. Fax: 425 487-1680 8