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Over the last two years, many prisons and jails have restricted visitors and the ability of many ministries to operate in-person due to COVID-19 concerns. Despite these challenges, Prison Fellowship continues to “remember those that are in prison” (Hebrews 3:13) and serve returning citizens. Here are the nuts and bolts of their efforts along with a number of insights and resources to help individual Christians and churches serve strategically in prison ministry.

Prison Fellowship was founded by Chuck Colson and is one of the world’s largest (if not the largest) Christian nonprofit organization for prisoners, former prisoners, and their families, and a leading advocate for justice reform. Prison Fellowship’s vision is to see all affected by crime reconciled to God, their families and their communities. John Brennan serves as the Church Mobilization Director for the central United States and as the International Director of Celebrate Recovery Inside, and we recently discussed Prison Fellowship’s comprehensive ministry strategy.

Key Takeaways:

• John’s remarkable testimony and call to prison ministry.
• How COVID-19 related lockdowns in prisons and local jails have affected prison ministry nationwide.
• The best first step for a church or an individual Christian that want to get involved in prison ministry.
• An explanation of the Angel Tree program, which equips churches to strengthen relationships between incarcerated parents and their children, and how PF is expanding that program to support the families of prisoners year-round.
• PF recently launched a small group study titled Outrageous Justice, a free Biblical and thought-provoking resource about the American criminal justice system and the need for promoting a justice that restores.
• We often talk about restorative criminal justice as a critical component of the church’s public witness (Micah 6:8; Isaiah 1:17), and PF has remarkable resources on this topic as well as an advocacy team that works on this issue.