The practical implication is sobering. The church that runs an evangelism program inside the prison but does nothing for the Christian brother who has been wrongfully convicted and sits forgotten in that same prison has, by the logic of Matthew 25, neglected Christ Himself. “Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me” (v. 45). That verdict does not distinguish between sins of commission and sins of omission. It condemns the omission as though it were a direct affront to the King.

Practical Duties and Remedies

Audit your church’s prison ministry for both tracks. Does your program include sustained care for incarcerated Christians—not merely evangelistic outreach to the unchurched? If not, you are fulfilling only half the mandate. Establish a specific protocol for identifying, visiting, and supporting Christian prisoners as distinct from evangelistic contacts.

Assign specific individuals to Track One ministry. The duty of remembering afflicted brethren should not be an afterthought appended to the evangelism schedule. Designate deacons, elders, or committed laypeople whose primary responsibility is to visit, supply, and encourage incarcerated brothers and sisters in Christ. These individuals should be trained in the distinctive needs of Christian prisoners—legal support, family advocacy, spiritual encouragement, and the practical provision of food, hygiene, and informal economy funds.

Do not allow evangelistic enthusiasm to eclipse covenantal duty. It is easier—and more emotionally rewarding—to count conversions than to sustain a brother through a five-year sentence. Conversions are visible, dramatic, and reportable. Solidarity is invisible, mundane, and costly. But the command of Hebrews 13:3 is no less binding than the command of Matthew 28:19, and the church that celebrates new converts while ignoring suffering saints has inverted the priorities of Scripture.

Remember the families. The imprisoned Christian’s spouse, children, and parents need Track One ministry as urgently as the prisoner himself. Their suffering is often worse—unstructured, invisible, financially devastating, and socially isolating. A church that visits the prisoner but forgets his family has obeyed the letter of the law while violating its spirit.

Commit to long-term presence. Valentín visited me more than 230 times and brought supplies on more than 250 occasions over the course of five years. That is what fidelity looks like. The church that visits once, or once a month for six months, and then stops, has begun a ministry and then abandoned it. Incarceration is measured in years, not in weekends. Ministry to the incarcerated must be measured on the same scale.

Teach the dual mandate from the pulpit. Most congregations have never heard the distinction between Track One and Track Two because most pastors have never taught it. Preach Hebrews 13:3 alongside Matthew 28:19. Preach Colossians 4:18 alongside Acts 1:8. Let the congregation see that Scripture commands both solidarity and evangelism, and that a church that does only one is a church that has read the Bible selectively.

Action Steps

Read Hebrews 13:3, Colossians 4:18, and 2 Timothy 1:16-18 together. Identify the specific actions these texts command toward imprisoned believers. Then read Matthew 28:18-20 and 2 Timothy 2:24-26. Identify the specific actions these texts command toward the unconverted. Note the differences. Write them down.

Inventory your church’s current prison involvement. Is it entirely evangelistic? Does it include sustained care for any known Christian prisoners? If you cannot name a single incarcerated believer your church is actively supporting, you have work to do.

Establish a “prisoner of the month” program in which the church commits to write letters, provide informal economy funds, and pray specifically for one incarcerated Christian each month. The prayer for the unsaved is for salvation, not that he can be freed and continue in sin. The prayer for the saved man is the same as prayer would be for members of the church: employment, healing, faithfulness, etc. Rotate names so that multiple prisoners receive sustained attention over time.

If you are incarcerated, do not be ashamed to ask the church for help. Paul asked. The author of Hebrews assumed that his readers would respond. Your need is not weakness—it is the occasion for the body of Christ to function as a body. Write to your pastor. Write to your denomination. Write to any believer who will listen. “Remember my bonds” is a biblical plea, and the faithful church will hear it.

Evaluate whether your church has inadvertently abandoned a brother. Ask: Is there a member of this congregation—or of the broader Christian community—who is currently incarcerated and whom we have ceased to visit, write to, or support? If so, repent of the neglect and resume the ministry immediately. Seven months without visitation is devastating. Seven years is catastrophic.

Discussion Questions

Why does the church so commonly collapse the duty of solidarity with Christian prisoners into the broader category of evangelistic outreach? What theological assumptions underlie this confusion, and how can they be corrected?

Read Colossians 4:18 in its original context. What does Paul’s plea—“Remember my bonds”—reveal about the practical needs of an imprisoned apostle? How does this inform our understanding of what incarcerated Christians need from the church today?

How does the seventeen-month pandemic isolation described in this chapter illustrate the danger of treating prison visitation as optional rather than obligatory? What would have happened if no one had returned when visitation resumed?

The chapter distinguishes between the guilty criminal who needs the Gospel and the suffering saint who needs the body of Christ. Is this distinction always clear in practice? How should the church respond when a prisoner’s situation involves both genuine guilt and genuine unjust treatment?

Evaluate your own church’s prison ministry (or lack thereof) against the dual-mandate framework. Which track receives more attention? Which track is neglected? What concrete steps could be taken in the next ninety days to address the imbalance?