Prison ministry: Mercy for ‘the least of these’

The Rev. Brian Heller, manager of LCMS Specialized Spiritual Care Ministry, informed conference attendees of the resources the Synod has available to help in their prison ministry efforts. (LCMS/Frank Kohn)

By Cheryl Magness

“The inmate that you are visiting is in the jaws of the wolf, but greater is He that is in you.”

During his keynote address at the 2024 Prison Ministry Coordinators Conference, held April 15–16 at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, the Rev. Tim Carter, associate pastor and director of Life Care at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Columbus, Ind., told attendees that they are compelled, by Matthew 25, to do the work they do:

“ ‘For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me’ ” (Matt. 25:42–45).

But, said Carter, it is “a thousand times more effective” when the one visiting the prisoner “is sent by a congregation with its support and prayers”: “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!” (Eccl. 4:9–10).

From the highways and byways

Equipping congregations with the tools necessary for effective prison ministry was the primary focus of the two-day conference, which gathered under the theme, “From the Highways, Byways, Prisons and Jails … Compel Them to Come In.” The theme comes from Luke 14:23: “And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled.’” The conference was hosted by The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) Southern Illinois District (SID) along with co-hosts LCMS Specialized Spiritual Care Ministry, Concordia Publishing House (CPH), the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, Lutheran Braille Workers (LBW), Lutheran Hour Ministries and Lutheran Heritage Foundation.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the SID had more than 20 active prison ministries. “We were going in every week without any problem at all,” said the Rev. Dr. Jeff Nehrt, pastor of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Greenville, Ill. That number declined precipitously during the pandemic, he said, to no more than eight times in two years.

Nehrt, who also serves as one of three prison ministry coordinators for the SID, spoke to conference attendees about a pilot program the district is testing called “Reaching Out by Reaching In.” The program seeks to connect prisoners with volunteers who are willing to correspond with them. “COVID stifled prison ministry. That could happen again,” he said. “That’s why we’re so passionate about getting something in place so that, even if we can’t go in … the message of the Gospel can continue to be shared.” Nehrt emphasized that the program carefully protects the identities and personal information of the volunteers.

Yet in-person visits remain important as well, providing a witness that can extend beyond the individual being visited. “Prison ministry is an expression of pure mercy,” Nehrt said. “You do it because God sends you, because Jesus say so.”

“We may not ever see the ‘reward’ of the work,” he continued. “But we want those who serve in prison ministry, each time we go into an institution, to share the message that Jesus Christ died for that person’s sins and has given him or her the promise of eternal life through Christ’s sacrifice at Calvary. That message is for all — not only for the incarcerated but for their families, the guards, prison staff, volunteers and anyone else we may encounter.”

‘How can we ever say no?’

The Rev. Brian Heller, manager of Specialized Spiritual Care Ministry, including prison ministry, for the LCMS Office of National Mission, brought greetings from the Synod, updated conference participants on resources currently available from National Mission and asked what else the Synod can do to support prison ministry. Heller shared that the Synod receives several letters each month from inmates looking for support and resources. “They have often heard about the LCMS from other inmates. One of the things we want to do is not just give them a Bible and walk away … but connect them with a local LCMS pastor and congregation that will provide ongoing support.”

Heller said that he would be sharing details later in the morning about a new Prison Ministry Kit, developed by CPH in partnership with the LCMS, that includes an abridged Lutheran Service Book, an ESV Bible in easy-to-read 8-point font, and Luther’s Small Catechism with Explanation (1991 ed.). Each conference attendee received a free sample of the kit, which is not available on the CPH website but can be obtained by contacting Specialized Spiritual Care at specializedcare@lcms.org.

Other speakers at the conference included Ann Vasquez, CEO of Lutheran Foundation of St. Louis, which issues grants for the 12-county greater St. Louis area; Vanessa Johnson, executive director of LWML, who reviewed a variety of ways the organization supports prison ministry; the Rev. Jon Hohgrefe, who shared wisdom and strategies gained from serving in SID prison ministry; and David Jenkins, CEO of LBW, which provides Braille and large-print Bibles and other resources to the visually impaired at no cost. Jenkins noted that visual impairment is the #1 physical disability reported by federal prisoners, comprising 12% of the federal prison population. Since its beginning in 1943, LBW has produced and distributed over 15 million volumes of Christian material, in 40 languages, to people in 164 countries. No recipient of LBW materials has ever been charged. “If people are asking for the Gospel,” Jenkins said, “how can we ever say no?”

Satan’s ‘trophy case’

During his keynote, Carter shared that before he was an LCMS pastor, he spent 20 years serving in various roles in the execution unit of the Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas. Over the course of that time, he participated in the capital punishment of 168 inmates. He wrote about his experience working on death row in his book, The Executioner’s Redemption: My Story of Violence, Death, and Saving Grace (CPH, 2016).

In the book’s introduction, Carter writes that it is “not a treatise for or against capital punishment” but “the story of the progression of my faith in Christ — a relationship that triggered a long and serious struggle to know His will concerning my authority and responsibility in wielding that sword” (viii). It was a progression that ultimately led Carter to attend seminary and become a pastor. Now when he enters the prison door, it is not to carry out executions but to bring the Gospel to the condemned.

He acknowledged, in his keynote, the difficulty not only of gaining access to prisoners but of getting beyond the obstacles that present themselves even after access is gained. “I know this firsthand,” he said, “because I was an enemy of prison ministry. We not only hated the inmates; we hated you [the prison ministry workers]. Every one of you is a security risk, a problem waiting to happen, a weak link in the chain of control … a ‘hug-a-thug.’”

He now puts himself in the category of “hug-a-thug.”

“Prison is Satan’s trophy case,” Carter said, “composed of lives that he has managed to totally destroy. … Satan visits them every day. You or their family member only occasionally gets in there.

“But the reason we’re all here today is that you are so powerfully effective. Your visit or card or letter is beyond priceless. No matter how often Satan visits that inmate, one short visit with God’s Word is enough to overcome all of Satan’s visits.”

Posted May 9, 2024