We understand that the prospect of going inside can be very daunting. All you can imagine is a bunch of wild-eyed 'criminals' running around hurting each other, but the truth is, in most cases it's not that way at all. Your first time inside the wire will be intimidating. All of the stereotypical things you've seen in the movies will be present, but it's important that you remember two very important thing – Number one is that must remember that if God called you to this ministry, He's got your back! Your faith will bring you through this. The second thing to know is that once inmates find that you're in there, on your own time, with only the goal of helping them make their lives better, you'll be amazed at how much they appreciate you and your efforts!
So, here are some of the things you can do going inside –
- The easiest way to get involved is to get qualified with one of the larger prison ministries that are already working inside your preferred facility. Some examples of this are, Prison Fellowship who conducts the T.U.M.I. program (The Urban Ministry Institute), which is a 4 year, Seminary level Bible course. This work is very intense and requires real dedication and focus, but is also very rewarding as you watch inmates grow in Christ and Church leadership. Another group is called “God Behind Bars” which also does some great work. These and other similar organizations can be found online for more information.
- Some Chaplains can really use volunteers to come in on a schedule and just be their assistants. There are often some administrative chores you can take over for them to help free them up for other chaplaincy work. I did this for years with Chaplain Rogowski at Folsom Prison. But before you can move into this type of work you'll need to develop a rapport with your Chaplain because they'll need to get to know you and see your heart for a while. But it's worth the effort because this is also very rewarding work.
- It is possible to bring new programs into prisons but it takes time and patience to do so. First of all you'll need the full support of your Chaplain. You'll have to thoroughly convince him/her of the viability and benefits of this course. It will need to be a formal class/course. It's pretty rare that a Chaplain will let you take up scarce meeting space and time slots just to conduct a simple Bible study. In most places those are conduction by Christian inmates in leadership roles. T.U.M.I. students, as mentioned in the example before this, are good examples of those that develop projects and conduct Bible studies on the yard as part of their curriculum. An example of one of these smaller courses can be seen on our website here under projects. It's Christian Anger Management Project (C.A.M.P.). We are active in California and have recently been approved for the institutions in Texas. Our ministry supplies all of the books and materials needed to conduct this class. If this might be of interest to you, contact us and we'll walk you through the process.
There are many ways to get involved in prison ministry if you are willing to go inside, but qualifying for this work and being accepted fully by your Chaplain will take time and patience on your part. The vetting process can be a very slow turning ship. You can imagine that they must start off being skeptical about anyone's motives for wanting to work inside, so you'll need to be patient and somewhat thick-skinned. But believe me once again, it will be worthwhile if this work turns out to be right for you. Find your niche and go for it!