Point to Christ, not to yourself. The inmate who begins to depend on you emotionally is in danger. You will not always be there. You may be reassigned, transferred, or denied access. The ministry that creates dependency on the minister rather than on Christ has failed in its most fundamental purpose. Teach the man to read his Bible, to pray, to trust God—not to trust you.

Working Within Institutional Rules

The tension between the needs of ministry and the constraints of the institution is real and constant. The rules governing your access, activities, and interactions with inmates are often frustrating, sometimes irrational, and always non-negotiable.

Do not gratuitously bend the rules. Prepare supply sacks containing the allowed foods and personal hygiene, cleaning, and work items in accordance with the Warden’s terms. It is not worth bickering about such nuisances. You will already be breaking other rules by helping inmates get a cell phone or carry messages to their lawyers or family. Every rule you break jeopardizes not only your own access but the access of every other minister who comes after you. Hence, you must be selective in your moral noncompliance so as not to draw attention to yourself as a renegade. One volunteer full of infractions can shut down an entire ministry program.

Build relationships with staff. The officers and administrators who control your access are not exactly your adversaries, although Satan might use them as such. They are your quasi-partners—imperfect, sometimes indifferent or stupid, occasionally hostile, but essential. Treat them with respect. Learn their names. Follow their procedures without complaint. Over time, a track record of trustworthiness and professionalism will earn you greater access and more flexibility than any amount of pleading or arguing.

Document your ministry. Keep records of your visits, participants, topics, and any incidents. These records protect you, demonstrate the value of your program to institutional administrators, and provide continuity if you are unable to continue and another volunteer steps in. Later in the book, I will discuss using artificial intelligence to produce Bible studies and sermonettes for prison ministry. These form a permanent record that the Ward may see at any time. Keep extra printed copies (or a PDF version on your website) so others can follow your ministry, and give each hearer a copy in his hand to review later.

Handling Disruptions and Security Incidents

There will come a day when something goes wrong during your ministry time. A fight breaks out. An inmate has a medical emergency. A lockdown is ordered. An inmate becomes verbally aggressive or threatening during your Bible study.

When this happens, your first priority is compliance with institutional protocol. Stop whatever you are doing. Follow the officers’ instructions. Do not attempt to intervene in a physical altercation. Do not attempt to administer medical care unless you are trained and authorized to do so. Do not argue with officers about whether the lockdown is necessary. In my experience, the guards never planned a raid during ministry events or general visitation times—or, for that matter, anything disagreeable that would reveal to visitors how ruthless they really are. So the chance of you running into a planned nasty event is small.

Your second priority is your own safety and the safety of the inmates under your spiritual care. Be aware of your surroundings at all times. Know the exits. Know the location of the nearest officer or guard in charge. Do not position yourself in a way that traps you between hostile parties. For the most part, you will be honored and revered by inmates, and no harm will come to you, at least that was my experience in Chile.

Your third priority is spiritual care after the incident. When the dust settles—after the lockdown is lifted, after the fight is resolved, after the ambulance has left—the inmates will be shaken, angry, frightened, or some combination of all three. You will be long gone, since the guards will not let you stay throughout the event. But you may hear about it via text message in the evening or the next time you visit to minister to them. This will be your moment to do good. Pray with them. Read Scripture. Help them recoup their losses. Be present. The God who calmed the storm on the Sea of Galilee will be present in the chaos of a prison incident, and your calm, faith-filled presence before and after the chaos will be a testimony to His sovereignty.

Action Steps

Visit the facility before your first ministry session. Walk the route you will take. Meet the officers you will interact with. With all likelihood, the guards will not let you see the space where your Bible study or preaching service will be held, but it does not hurt to ask. Familiarity reduces anxiety and increases effectiveness.

Prepare your lesson plan, but hold it loosely. Have a text, a structure, and a goal for every session—but be prepared to abandon the plan when the Spirit leads the conversation in a different direction.

Bring extra Bibles and basic materials to every session. Never assume that the inmates will have what they need. However, in my experience, most do come prepared with Bibles, notebooks, and pens. When using artificial intelligence to prepare handout materials, make sure it prints the Bible verses on the handouts.

Debrief after every week of visits. Sit with your team or your mentor and process what happened. What went well? What did not? What needs to change? This discipline prevents burnout and promotes growth. Much of the time, it will be better to regroup outside of prison, since it is better to have at least one person there at every scheduled ministry time or regular visitation than to have a team come to fewer events. The more contact you have with the group as separate members of the team with a consistent message, the better involved you will be in the lives of the inmates you minister to.

Pray for your inmates by name. Keep a list. Update it regularly. Your prayers for them may be the most important ministry you provide. Even if not so, it will still be an essential ingredient.

Discussion Questions

What adjustments must a typical church Bible study leader make when teaching in a prison setting? Which skills transfer directly, and which must be learned anew?

How should a prison minister handle theological disputes with inmates who hold different convictions? When is it appropriate to engage, and when is it better to redirect?

What are the risks of one-on-one counseling in a prison setting? How can these risks be managed without eliminating the ministry?

How does the tension between institutional rules and ministry freedom reflect the broader tension between the state and the church? What principles (superficial submission to most things, Romans 13:1-2, Titus 3:1, 1 Peter 2:13-14) should guide the prison minister’s response to institutional constraints?