ARM Prison Outreach Celebrates 50 Years
Joe Garman's ministry with ARM Prison Outreach is marking its 50th year. The impetus of the ministry began in South Korea in an unlikely way and took root after a visit to the Pentagon. . . .
Articles for tag: Prison Ministry
December 12, 2022
December 18 | Application (Caring for ‘the Least of These’)
In Matthew 25, Jesus compares himself to a shepherd separating the sheep from the goats. This Scripture passage teaches important truths about the Lord, and it has practical implications for us.
March 1, 2022
Finding Authenticity in the Middle
By Renee Little Recently I couch shopped for an entire weekend. My two young boys “test drove” every couch by bouncing from one to another. (It’s a good thing couches cannot experience fear.) I was more careful during this search than on a previous couch-shopping expedition. This time, before I would even sit on one to try it out, I read the tags to verify the couch was made from genuine leather. You see, I once made the mistake of buying a “pleather” couch; it was nice at first, but soon cracks and chips appeared. I was not making that
November 30, 2021
Arizona Prison Ministry Making Global Impact
Roger Munchian used to traffic marijuana. Tons of it. Today, as founder of the prison ministry Rescued Not Arrested, Munchian traffics something else—Bibles.
November 1, 2021
Doing Ministry During the Holidays
By Jim Estep Christmas is undeniably the most celebrated season of the year. It used to begin with Thanksgiving (the time my wife allows me to set up the tree and decorate the house), but it seems like we begin seeing Christmas items on television and on store shelves earlier and earlier. QVC began having Christmas specials in July! Society may be better prepared for Christmas than the church, although for different reasons. The holiday season, particularly from Thanksgiving to Christmas, offers the church an unprecedented opportunity to minister. However, like most opportunities, we can fail to make the most
April 1, 2021
The Repentant Thief’s Story:
A Beautiful Reminder of God’s Amazing Grace
The repentant thief on the cross who put his faith in Jesus is one of my favorite people in the Easter narrative. Possibly more than any other Bible character, this man shows that no one is beyond the reach of God’s grace and it is truly never too late to trust in Jesus. The repentant thief shows us today can be the day of salvation! While this crucified criminal is mentioned in all four Gospels (Matthew 27:38; Mark 15:27, 32; Luke 23:32-33, 39-43; John 19:18, 31-33), it may seem we know little about him. But Matthew and Mark used the
February 1, 2021
‘My Story Is for God’s Glory’
After living a life as a criminal and prisoner, David Green has experienced—and now makes known a message of—redemption and reconciliation. In the early morning hours of Easter 1978, just after midnight, a group of adolescent boys entered a 24-hour convenience store in New Orleans’ notorious Ninth Ward, intending to steal alcohol. During the attempted robbery, shots were fired and the clerk on duty behind the counter was mortally wounded. All of the boys managed to flee the scene except one, a 15-year-old known to his cohorts as “Red.” As he tried to escape, a paying customer tripped him and
January 15, 2020
Four Decades in, GNPI Solar Kits Still a High-Impact Tool for Ministry
By Chris Moon Tom Nutt keeps getting requests. “Right now, I have sent out two so far this year,” he told Christian Standard. “I’ve got four that need to go out in the next few weeks and an additional one that I will ship in March.” He’s talking about the solar kits Good News Productions International, based in Joplin, Mo., has been sending around the world for the past 39 years. Nutt, vice president of operations for GNPI, says the organization has sent out nearly 800 of them in its historyall in an effort to enable missionaries to show evangelistic
January 2, 2020
Ministry Behind Bars: How God Used a 'Reluctant Prison Chaplain' to Reach Hundreds on the Inside
By Bill Twaddell After trying my best to avoid him, I found myself face-to-face with a murderer. I didn’t like this guy. He had done horrible things to land himself at Western Illinois Correctional Center in Mt. Sterling, Illinois. In the casual parlance of American jurisprudence, he was a “poster child” for the insanity defense. Many years earlier, he had committed a murder, pleaded insanity, and been found not guilty. After being set free, he committed another murder. By the spring of 2011, this man had spent most of his life behind walls and razor wire. He had sent several
Changing Lives and Communities By Loving Our Neighbors (BLOC Ministries, Cincinnati)
By Russ Howard Of the countless strategies we have to reach and restore people to Christ, none are as simple, profound, or powerful as Jesus’ simple command to “love your neighbor” (Mark 12:31). For more than 20 years BLOC Ministries, an inner-city ministry on the west side of Cincinnati, has done just that. The people live where they serve. BLOC’s roots reach to the hollers of Kentucky where Dwight Young was born and raised. Dwight met his wife, Stephanie, at Johnson Bible College. Together they served churches by working with teenagers in Louisville, Knoxville, and eventually Cincinnati. Early on, Michael,
September 29, 2018
No Small Measure
The statistics from four small-town churches stood out in our 2017 Christian Standard survey. But numbers never tell the whole story. What were the real reasons for their growth in baptisms, attendance, and giving? By Kelly Carr “Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes—how do you measure, measure a year?” These are lyrics from “Seasons of Love,” a song from the Broadway show Rent. Church leaders may find themselves asking the same question when they reflect back on a year of ministry at their church: How do you measure a year or season of ministry? You often measure ministry
September 12, 2017
Don’t Let the Sheep Lead the Flock
By Michael C. Mack God often leads us as his leaders, and thus those we lead, on roads we never planned on traveling. Several months ago, I was leading a training event at a church in Central Illinois. As I left my home near Louisville, Kentucky, I set the route in the maps app on my phone and headed out. About two hours in, the app told me to exit the highway at least 30 miles before my next designated turn. I took the exit and then looked at my phone to see where it was taking me. It looked
May 22, 2017
When Modern Ministry Gets Messy
By Jessie Clemence “Messy” is the only choice for a ministry that opens the door for God”s power to change lives. Here”s a frank look at our situation today, with a challenge to demonstrate attitudes and actions worthy of Christ. What would you do if you walked into church on Sunday and found a new couple sitting in your usual pew, holding hands and envisioning how lovely their wedding ceremony would look in the room? What if they were both men, or both women? How would you feel if a transgender person handed you the Communion tray or a bulletin?
March 19, 2017
Uphold the Cause
By T.R. Robertson When I identify myself with the outcasts of society that too many condemn or ignore, I am prepared to serve them in a way that pleases God. This past fall, during the heat of the presidential campaign, yet another political link appeared on my Facebook feed. The gist of the headline was that Muslims were threatening to leave the United States in protest. Typical clickbait””it didn”t tempt me to keep reading for the details. But I did notice the comments from people on Facebook, most of whom probably didn”t read beyond the headline either: “Good-bye!” “Thank the
November 14, 2016
Seeking a Justice That Transforms
By Preston Shipp From the prosecutor”s office to advocacy for the imprisoned: a journey toward a new kind of justice. The United States has an immense population of marginalized people locked away in its prisons. It is the largest prison population in the history of the world, approximately 2.3 million people. As a result of America”s war on drugs, which has been waged over the past four decades and disproportionately against poor people of color, many of these people are serving long sentences for nonviolent crimes. The collateral damage, both emotional and financial, of such mass incarceration to children, spouses,
November 14, 2016
Lipscomb Takes Students to Prison
By Jennifer Johnson Leading Bible studies in prison? Old news. Coordinating worship services in prison? No problem. But holding college classes in prison””for both inmates and traditional students? Since 2007, Lipscomb University”s LIFE program””short for Lipscomb Initiative For Education“”has brought undergraduate students from its Nashville campus to the Tennessee Prison for Women, also in Nashville, to learn everything from conflict management to business communication””and to learn from each other. “I often quote the old biblical passage about “˜silver and gold have I none, but what I have I give you,”” says Dr. Richard Goode, professor of history at Lipscomb and
Ministry Synergy
By Michael C. Mack Church ministries often find themselves working as silos, fixating on their own specific objectives and depending on their own resources. Imagine what could be achieved for God”s kingdom if different ministries learned to work together to make a difference in their towns, cities, and the world! For the body of Christ to work effectively to carry out Jesus” mission, ministry leaders must first learn to listen to the Head, that is, Christ, as well as to local church leaders who can coordinate teamwork. They must also see themselves as stewards of the ministry; they refer to
March 14, 2016
Eat, Pray, Love?
By T.R. Robertson Is there a difference in the way we Christians talk about calling versus how the rest of our culture pursues calling? It”s certain many outside the church today have great interest in calling and identity. How can Christians be missionally purposeful in relating to that interest, especially when non-Christians may talk about calling with the same words Christians use? Oprah Winfrey is a touchstone of all that is popular in the culture at large. If it”s cool, she”ll be talking about it. If it”s not cool yet, she makes it cool by bringing it up. Winfrey has
September 13, 2015
From College, for the Church
By T.R. Robertson My sons loved going to church on Wednesday nights when they were little. In 1990 they were stairstep kids, ages 5, 4, and 3, and they were bundles of energy. I have to admit, my boys had a reputation for being a real handful. The teachers needed all the help they could get. Help came in the form of students from Central Christian College of the Bible, Moberly, Missouri, just 30 miles to the north. David, one of those students, remembers the experience well. “I was traveling on Sundays singing for the college during my sophomore year,”
May 15, 2015
Evangelism for Introverts
By T.R. Robertson Believers want to share their faith. According to a 2013 study by the Barna Group, 73 percent of born-again Christians say it is their personal duty to share their faith. The bad news is, only 52 percent said they had actually done so at least once in the past year.1 Experience tells me many of those Christians don”t share their faith frequently or regularly. That same study breaks down the results by age group, socioeconomic group, and denominational affiliation. I”ve yet to see a study, though, of the frequency of evangelism as it breaks down by personality
