My church has ministered in the local prison for twenty-five years or more. The call came from inside the prison. As I remember the story, an inmate became convinced of the Reformed faith through literature he had obtained and contacted a publisher or ministry—P&R Publishing or Ligonier Ministries—asking if there was a local church with which he might connect. The rest, as they say, is history. Though the history continues, because I am headed out there tonight to fill our weekly spot. That history has seen three men join our church from inside and then be released, two after very long incarcerations. Two have done very well after release. One of those is still a member; the other has gone to be with the Lord.
Two or three current inmates have recently expressed interest in joining our church. You might ask how that works. They must meet with the elders (after we have known them for some time). When we have active prison members, we aim to send a group of officers to the prison to have a full worship service with the Lord’s Supper at least once a year. The rest of the time, their “church” meetings are our weekly pray-sing-teach times and whatever other services and meetings that occur in the prison.
A few other things about our prison ministry:
- We have members who volunteer to visit with inmates with whom we are connected. These visits happen on Saturdays and are usually for inmates without local family.
- We have a weekly Thursday spot that we worked long and hard to secure and almost never miss. For example, our senior pastor has kept our regular Thursday slot for the last two Thanksgiving evenings. As you might imagine, we were the only church represented on those nights.
- The prison has areas for minimum, medium, medium-high, and maximum security. We have ministered a bit in minimum security in years past (after one of our members was moved there before release), but everything else we do is in the medium-security section.
- The walk from the prison entrance to the classroom we use is nearly one-half mile. We must pass through three interior doors and two outdoor gates to reach the building, which is open. There are no escorts for visitors—you are on your own. Guards are not always present.
- Most years, we provide a catered Christmas meal for about 200 inmates, and our pastors are allowed to preach to the group. We bring in up to twenty church members to serve.
- Flexibility is a must; you go with the state’s flow or lack thereof. It is not unusual to arrive and be turned away for . . . reasons. Sometimes you get in, but the inmates are not allowed out of their units. The ever-changing training and certification processes are a hassle. Chaplains, prison staff, and rules change often. Once, we arrived with catered food only to learn that foil containers were no longer allowed. One of our ladies dashed to a dollar store and bought enough clear plastic closet storage containers to hold the BBQ and beans—an example of heroic flexibility!
Ministry inside is much the same as ministry outside. Our “competition,” if you will, consists of megachurches, Baptists, charismatics, and large parachurch ministries. The Nation of Islam, Roman Catholics, Mormons, and Jehovah’s Witnesses are also in the mix. The mainline presence is small.
As you might imagine, it is easy to stand out if you teach the Bible and Reformed doctrine.
Tonight, the inmates are getting some Heidelberg Catechism:
Q: What is your only comfort in life and in death?
A: That I, with body and soul, both in life and in death, am not my own, but belong to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ, who with his precious blood has fully satisfied for all my sins, and redeemed me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me, that without the will of my Father in heaven not a hair can fall from my head; indeed, that all things must work together for my salvation. Wherefore, by his Holy Spirit, he also assures me of eternal life, and makes me heartily willing and ready from now on to live for Him.
I will point out a lot of things from HC 1, one of the most cogent, apt, and beautiful confessional passages ever written:
- That I, with body and soul, both in life and in death, am not my own, . . .
(The eternality of the soul, the creature’s obligation to the Creator) - but belong to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ, . . .
(Adoption, the work of Christ, the atonement, the God-Man, the second person of the Trinity) - who with his precious blood has fully satisfied for all my sins, . . . (Propitiation, active and passive obedience)
- and redeemed me from all the power of the devil; . . . (Regeneration, new life)
- and so preserves me, that without the will of my Father in heaven not a hair can fall from my head; . . .
(Security, sovereignty, perseverance, preservation, the first person of the Trinity) - indeed, that all things must work together for my salvation.
(Predestination, the certainty of God’s purpose of grace, maybe even the covenants) - Wherefore, by his Holy Spirit, he also assures me of eternal life, and makes me heartily willing and ready from now on to live for Him.
(The third person of the Trinity and his work, assurance, the believer’s heavenly future, sanctification, obedience, and good works)
It is all there in Answer 1; what a magnificent passage. And here is my advice: Learn, own, love, and live according to these great truths now—do not wait until you are in an earthly prison’s spartan, echo-y classroom . . . on a Thursday night.
©Brad Isbell. All Rights Reserved.
Editor’s Note: This essay was originally published on Presbycast Pravda and appears here by permission of the author.
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Brad Isbell
Brad Isbell is a ruling elder at Covenant Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Oak Ridge, TN, board member of More In The PCA, co-host of the Presbycast podcast, editorial member of Presbyterian Polity, and treasurer of the Heidelberg Reformation Association.
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As a correctional chaplain with almost 17 years in, I say thank you for your work. Reformed volunteers in prison are few and far between.
Added to that, Reformed ministries are often the most difficult when it comes to material donations. I have boxes and boxes of studies, books, and bibles sent in by Baptist and Charismatic organizations, often unsolicited. I have two entire bookshelves of the chapel library donated by Andrew Womack ministries. Yet, when I contact Reformed ministries, I receive very little. Out of the 20 shelves in the chapel library, maybe half a shelf is solidly P&R. I struggle getting Reformed devotionals in, as well as study courses and decent books. Prison Book Project sometimes has some stuff by Sproul, Ferguson, or Tripp, but not often.
That said, there are certainly inmates who benefit from what we do have. Several have been studying the Heidelberg with the G.I. Williamson book, and more than one have been challenged by Boice and Horton on the doctrines of grace. God is working, but it would certainly help if more Reformed ministries and churches would extend their reach into the prisons.
This is really wonderful. I do prison ministry in Western PA, both in county jails and penitentiaries… environments that differ dramatically from each other. The longer-term sentences in the state facilities allow for a lot more relationship-building, and “discipleship.” For all the years I’ve done it, I still can’t get over how often I find spiritual maturity among inmates in those dark places. One guy that came to faith in Christ in 2018 at a county jail we were in, is still doing weekly Bible study with me to this day. I post updates periodically on Instagram (@matheteusate) and would love to share some recent insights from 10/08/25 here. This HB post is VERY encouraging to me.
“For me, there is nothing quite like the raw intensity of a jail encounter. An inmate can go from apathetic self-loathing, barely responding or making eye contact, to in-your-face white-hot anger in an instant. I’ve had guards warn me “they will try to manipulate you.” My usual response to this very accurate warning: “they can try.” But after doing it enough, and having counseled so many criminal defendants over the years [I am a recovering criminal trial lawyer!], I just don’t see the veneer of tough guy, and security obstacles that I used to. I see a guy with the same basic sin problem as me, as my neighbors, my pastors, and any other human that ever lived.
“And, today I started what I hope is a months-long study of Deuteronomy at the prison. I read from Galatians 3:10-14, and explained that we must know concepts like “law” and “curse” and “sacrifice,” in order to understand the gospel. Afterward an older man who I’d seen several times the last few months looked like he had something to say to me. I asked if he had a question or any pushback on what I’d taught earlier. He said: “no, just gratitude.” He said a few other things as he started to cry. So frequently I find that inmates can receive the good news more gratefully than some Christians who haven’t felt the full weight of accusation. Some other time I’ll share the reactions I get when I read them this:
“Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? … Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will affliction, or turmoil, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?”
(Romans 8:33, 35 LSB)”
Prayers for you. I have been a correctional chaplain for almost 17 years and yearn for volunteers such as yourself. I have been able to get a fair amount of Reformed literature stocked in the chapel libraries of various prisons, but one thing I find fascinating is that while Baptist and Charismatic ministries will send me boxes and boxes of books, devotionals, and bibles, often unsolicited, Reformed ministries are quite tight with their offerings. I have asked several Reformed para-church organizations for study materials and resources, but rarely get much. It’s a bit frustrating, as some of the inmates would love a deep dive study into the weightier matters of Scripture and I can only offer so much.
That said, we were able to help an inmate get into Reformation Bible College a few years ago. He was reading a lot of Sproul along with some Ferguson and several churches helped pay his bus ticket to Florida when he discharged. We have also had other inmates who have gravitated toward P&R churches upon release, albeit only a few.
Thank you again for your work. It isn’t easy, but very worthwhile.