PCA Best Practices

A “Best Practice” is commonly defined as “a technique or methodology that, through experience and testing, has proven reliably to lead to a desired result. A practical definition of a “Best Practice” is “knowledge about what works in specific situations and contexts, which can be used to develop and implement solutions adapted to similar organizations in other situations and contexts.”

The use of the word “best” should not be considered in the superlative sense. In other words, the term “Best Practice” is not about “perfection,” a “gold standard” or a particular and specific “right way” leading to a “successful” ministry. The intent, instead, is to offer information about what works in some settings so as to provide new ideas to existing congregations and a potential framework for new congregations.

In general, all PCA congregations are guided by a similar set of goals. They provide a ministry which seeks to share the good news of Jesus Christ with the incarcerated, inside the walls of a correctional institution. A prison congregation is able to do this with stability and continuity as a result of a commitment from a denomination, the presence of called or appointed clergy and a foundation of outside congregational support. Each congregation also seeks to engage those “outside” with men and women “inside” by providing an opportunity for outside visitors to worship alongside the incarcerated and for volunteers to help support the ministry.

The practice of each worshipping community differs based on the denomination, the particularities of the setting and the history of the congregation in each place. The primary difference in practice comes, however, from the particular requirements, and often limitations, of the institution. Given that, for certain settings, some of the practices described in this document may be difficult to adopt.

At the time of this writing, there are 20 PCA congregations in 13 states worshipping at 27 sites with 22 clergy leaders. For the purposes of this document, all leaders were interviewed and 7 congregations were visited. The first PCA congregation established was St. Dysmas in Maryland, and the newest congregation is Church of Another Chance in Nashville. Congregations are in a variety of correctional settings: prisons for men and women at all security levels, substance abuse facilities, training centers, a halfway house and a jail.

Almost all congregations worship weekly. Worship styles range from traditional to contemporary. To some extent this is based on the availability of musicians and practice time. In general there is a great deal of participation from inmate church members. In some congregations, most of the service is led by inmates. All congregations offer baptism, or reaffirmation or rededication of baptism. Most, if not all congregations offer Holy Communion and many offer it weekly.

Inmate attendance ranges from 4-100. A rough average would be 44. Attendance varies in prison congregations in some of the same ways that attendance varies in all congregations, good weather (or very bad weather) or competing activities draw people away. Attendance varies also, though, in ways that are quite different from churches on the outside. In some cases, inmates are required to sign up to attend worship. Some sign up procedures are fairly complex. Some who want to attend are required to identify not just as Christian, or even Protestant, but must also make a specific denominational identification. Some institutions have a cap on attendance.

Attendance of volunteers and visitors/guests ranges from about 2-20. The variation is based, in part, on limitations of the institutions. In some cases, a limit on the number of visitors is based on the institution’s particular interpretation of PREA requirements.

Most congregations offer at least one Bible study. Some provide a Spanish-language Bible study. (A few are not allowed any additional activities beyond worship.) Studies use a range of resources:

• Recovery-based

• Studies from the Serendipity Bible

• Study of books of the Bible chosen by inmates, verse-by-verse

• Lectionary-based studies

• Crossroads Bible Institute materials

• Denominational materials

• DVDs followed by discussion

• Materials from “Doing HIS Time” or “The Story”

• Resources from Kyle Idleman, Adam Hamilton, Max Lucado, C.S. Lewis, Barbara Brown Taylor, Walter Brueggemann

Congregations have a variety of other activities. Most pastors are able to offer pastoral care. Some work with leaders in their congregations to minister to others in prison. One has a grief booklet with material written by other inmates.

Many have a choir or praise band that provides support to worship. Several have intensive discipleship-type weekends using a Brothers in Blue/Cursillo-type format. Others offer ALPHA, pre-baptism classes, leadership training, support to families/children/storytelling, movie nights, life skills/reentry classes, and special meals for active members. (In one case, volunteers bring in the food and the prison lets them use the kitchen to prepare the meal.)

Many congregations offer small group opportunities led and supported by volunteers. They include: prayer, crochet, knitting, cooking, book groups, grief support, and exercise.

Outreach is offered to the rest of the prison through special meals/events, prayer support/requests, Christmas gift bags/cards, departure kits, Vacation Bible School and a Christmas open house.

Many congregations have service projects. A few include support for various global mission efforts (prayer, letters and financial support.) Some make items that are donated to those in need outside the prison (e.g., crocheted hats for the homeless) or sold to raise funds to support mission projects outside the prison. Many provide an opportunity for inmates to donate their offerings to mission projects.

Many PCA pastors are also providing some level of support/pastoral care to prison staff. Some PCA pastors provide chaplain services to the prison, either informally or formally. In at least one case, those chaplain services are supported by paid inmate workers.

Staffing ranges from a minimum of one volunteer pastor to a maximum of two full-time pastors with 3 half-time staff people. Annual budgets range from $2,500 to $250,000. Discounting the lowest value, which represents a congregation served by a volunteer leader and which is more of an outlier, the average budget is just under $100,000. Most get the majority of their support from congregations and individuals. Several of those who are receiving denominational support realize that support will be diminishing or ending. Several are making an intentional effort to expand the base of individual givers.

Of the 20 PCA congregations, 6 have institutions that do not allow inside leadership/councils. 1 congregation has such a high transition rate that an ongoing leadership council is not practical. The remaining congregations all have some version of an inside church council. Some institutions are concerned that inmates who have leadership over others will abuse that position. Some pastors interviewed spoke specifically to that concern. One said, “In the prison, the men know that this is the one place where they are a man first and an inmate second. They take that seriously.” Another said, “The authority they have is respected, even sacredly held.”

Of those congregations that have inside councils, most have a fixed number of members, generally ranging from 4-12, sometimes with term limits. Most have something like an executive committee with a chair, vice chair and secretary. Representation is intended to be diverse, pulling people from different housing units and racial groups. Congregations have different ways of identifying council members. Sometimes the pastor and other volunteers will identify potential members, sometimes current council members will recommend possible new members, sometimes inmates will be able to self-select. In one case, the inside council is comprised of all those who attend 5 consecutive meetings and who receive a positive vote from the existing council.

Some inside councils have a covenant to which the members agree. In some cases this is denominational, much like a covenant a church on the outside might have. In other cases it is specific to the congregation. (See Appendix A)

Some congregations who are not allowed to have an official inside council find other opportunities to develop leadership on an informal basis. They do this through worship leadership, or through other small groups or Bible studies. In one case, because the amount of turnover of inmates essentially precludes an inside council, one congregation has regular “congregational meetings” at which different tasks are assigned, or signed up for, and the people transitioning out of those positions provide training to those coming in.

Developing leadership through an inside council, or through some other more informal means (servant leader group, worship leaders, leaders identified through congregational meetings) is a tremendous opportunity to develop leaders in a Christian context. In the particular context of a prison congregation, it provides a learning opportunity most inmates will never have experienced. The benefits of this kind of discipleship development are abundant. Many pastors spoke about the way that prison congregations offer a ministry different from other ministries offered in the prison. Many prison or jail worship opportunities provide inmates an opportunity to claim the promise of God’s salvation in Christ, but not as many offer an ongoing “way” of discipleship for those same people to grow more deeply into their faith. An inside council not only provides that opportunity, it also:

• Raises up mentors who will support and encourage new members/believers.

• Identifies leaders who can carry the good news to the general population through their words, or more appropriately in the prison context, through their actions and overall attitude. One man described how he walks through the prison now, and by his very demeanor, shows the younger men (often carrying a lot of anger, hurt and struggle) that “there’s an easier way.”

• Provides a core of people who will invite and welcome others. This is helpful, because, as with any church, the pastor can’t do all the inviting, and in this context, may not be allowed to through limitations on movement.

• Provides members the chance to learn how to own up to their own failures (some councils have a formal time to discuss disciplinary actions.) They also learn to affirm one another and to offer support and prayer for each other. For many, those words of affirmation may be the first experienced in their lives. On one council, an intentional and deliberate time of affirmation is provided when new council members are received.

• Provides an environment in which those who may not have much, or any, experience of church can learn to be the church and to be a community of faith.

Almost all PCA congregations have some kind of outside leadership team. Most often the outside council is also the legal authority, depending on the denomination and the status of the congregation. Membership ranges from 5-18 members. Most have something like an executive team with a president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer. Most have identified term limits, although in many cases they are not enforced. Most are ecumenical and have some representation from the denomination’s judicatory office. A few have occasional combined meetings with both the inside and the outside council.

Generally outside councils provide administrative support to the congregation, in particular helping with finances and human resource issues. Some also provide development/fundraising assistance. One board—seeing that the pastor did not have time—sought and received a grant from an area foundation for $100,000 to initiate a reentry program.

An engaged and effective outside leadership team can create a growing team of people who become advocates for the ministry, using their time, their voices and their financial resources to share the message of the ministry. As tempting as it is to let people passionate about the ministry continue year after year on an outside board of directors, new membership brings new ideas, fresh oversight and continues to increase the base of supporters.

One of the primary goals of PCA is to provide the opportunity for those on the outside to join inmates in worship. Mostly that seems to happen through the presence of both volunteers and visitors/guests. Generally speaking, volunteers have applied for volunteer status and received training from the prison. Visitors are approved to come in on a one- or limited-time basis and have not participated in a prison-provided training session. Almost all prison congregations have active volunteers who support the ministry and who regularly share in the worship service. Many have visitors who participate as well, although there are several for whom visitor access is severely limited or non-existent. The procedure for granting access to visitors varies significantly, from those congregations who only require Name, DOB and SSN to others which have a multi-page application form and some level of training required.

Almost all PCA congregations have anywhere from 2-20 volunteers/visitors attending worship. The presence of outside guests is vitally important to this ministry. One inmate said, “…it’s a reminder that they are us and we are them and no one can change that. We worship the same God.” One pastor indicated that in his prison, 67% of the inmates have no one on their visit list. Volunteers and visitors are a vital, life-giving contact with the outside world.

1. Regular volunteers provide strong, ongoing support to the ministry and build relationships with the inmates, providing healthy, consistent care and friendship. As a practical matter, some level of volunteer presence is often a requirement at inmate activities.

2.  A strong commitment to providing access to visitors means many people are able to experience what it means to worship alongside their “inside” brothers and sisters, many people are able to live out the call of Matthew 25, many are able to see Jesus in the least of these, many are able to recognize themselves in those who to the world are often considered throwaways. One pastor said the most important aspect of this ministry is, “…introducing outsiders to what grace means as they worship with the men and women on the inside.”

Part of the ministry that many PCA congregations do, or hope to do, is to prepare inmate members for that time when they leave the prison and provide support to them within the first year of their reentry. The challenge of leaving prison was highlighted in this July 19, 2015 New York Times Magazine article http://nyti.ms/1JjAqJG. There are complications to reentry programming around the role of volunteers and limits on relationships between volunteers and offenders once they have left prison. One PCA pastor is working to directly address this through legislation in his state.

A few congregations have active reentry programs directly provided by their ministry. One model for this is “circles of support” which provide a team of volunteers to support a returning citizen for up to a year following their release. Typically a team is in contact with the returning citizen at least once a week, providing moral and practical guidance. Sometimes some level of financial assistance is offered (first and last month rent for instance.) The most active programs have some level of paid-staff support.

A few congregations have spun off a separate organization to provide reentry ministry. In one case, that organization provides services to other PCA congregations in the state.

Several other congregations partner with regional or state-wide reentry or aftercare programs to connect their members to services, including programs that provide housing, mentoring and spiritual support. Some congregations support prison-based programming.

Many pastors indicated that they are going to be starting a program, that they are rebuilding a program, or that they wished they had a program.

One PCA congregation offers a quarterly, 4-session reentry prep class in the prison, available to any inmate. A description of that class is attached as Appendix B. One congregation is looking at working with their denomination to develop a low-profit business to employ returning citizens.

For the most part, PCA congregations are financially supported through denominations, congregations and individual gifts. Some receive additional support from denominationally-connected organizations or regional foundations.

6 congregations receive no denominational support. 3 indicated that their denominational support is declining or will go away all together. The average amount of denominational support is 22% of the budget. Most congregations get more of their remaining support from congregations than individuals, although for 5 the reverse is true.

The primary way congregations raise funds is through church visits. Close to all PCA pastors spend anywhere from 1-3 Sundays a month in churches preaching and sharing the story of their ministry. On those Sundays there may be special offerings. Other pastors bring envelopes with them to receive donations. One pastor has a “square” for his iphone to take credit card donations. Several congregations have board members and other speakers who extend the congregation’s ability to visit more churches. Other funds are raised through:

• Direct mail and email of letters or newsletters (which include donation forms). Several congregations use fundraising software and maintain an active database of donors.

• Events (quilt auction, banquets, barbeques, and other meals.)

• Websites which provide a donation page/option.

• Directed giving through the denomination.

• Presenting to service clubs.

One congregation establishes a 3-year covenant with “partner” churches. In the covenant, the church promises to support the PCA congregation with prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness.

Some congregations have selected a particular Sunday on which they encourage supporting congregations to highlight their ministry. One congregation provides a brochure with ideas for churches. (Appendix C.)

One key to effective ministry within the prison is a good relationship with institutional leaders. PCA leaders feel their relationships are good for the most part. Responses ranged from “good,” to “very good,” to “better.” A few identified difficulties and those difficulties often came from staff that didn’t see the value of the ministry. A few reflected that their relationships had improved after they had come to better understand the expectations of the prison. For the most part, it seems that time and patience are the best allies of a successful relationship. Many reflected that the relationship became stronger as the prison staff came to see that the PCA ministry was consistent, reliable and cooperative. In one case, a pastor reflected that the staff had come to appreciate the open, non-judgmental nature of the ministry.

Prison congregations are in some ways quite distinct from congregations on the outside. They may be among the most diverse—religiously, economically and racially—of any congregation worshipping from week to week. The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. once said that 11:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning is “the most segregated hour in this nation.” Prison congregations, however, have the potential to provide a worship that is a reflection of the diversity of the community from which it is drawn. Several PCA congregations offer bilingual components to their congregational life. Also, while a given congregation may be led and supported by a particular denomination, the members of the congregation who identify with that denomination may be a minority. The worship is, of a necessity, ecumenical.

The community which is the general population in the prison is as segregated and divided as the world outside its fences—maybe even more so—but the prison congregation is a place where all these different groups can come together—worshipping the same gospel of Jesus Christ. This united community provides an opportunity to:

• Build on the diversity present among the participants to offer diversity in the worship practice by taking advantage of all the gifts and experiences available in their community.

• Provide a place where people with different backgrounds and different understandings of what it means to be Christian can come to a more generous understanding of each other’s faith.

• Provide a community that can then send its members back into the general population, and, upon release, into the community at large, better prepared to care for and live with one another.

Supporting a prison congregation also offers a sense of identity to the sponsoring denomination. It provides a unique opportunity for the churches of that denomination, in a regional judicatory, to work together on a shared ministry. This requires the strong support of judicatory leaders, but when that support is present, there is a real benefit gained as people of faith across a region are able to work together toward a common goal. It also offers the opportunity, as the ministry expands and grows ecumenically, for brothers and sisters in Christ, across denominations, to work and learn together. Maybe then, as the support for the ministry “outside” grows, the supporting community may begin to reflect the diversity of the community “inside.”

One pastor reflected on the challenge and blessing of operating as a grace-filled community in an environment bound by law. While churches everywhere are doing essentially the same thing, that contrast is particularly stark inside the walls of a prison. Many pastors reflected similarly when considering the most important aspect of the ministry they lead.

• It “…epitomizes grace and acceptance, bringing a word of hope. The rest of time they are defined by the worst thing they have ever done.”

• It is about “…introducing outsiders to what grace means as they worship with the men and women on the inside. Also, that the inmates feel connected to a church and know they are not forgotten.”

• It’s the “…sharing of Jesus in a very basic way, preaching gospel of goodness and mercy and watching them hunger and thirst for it, it’s incredible to behold.”

Sharing the good news of the love of God in Jesus Christ provides a lifeline to men and women who are incarcerated, reminding them, or, all too often, telling them for the very first time, that they are a beloved child of God. Ultimately, the ministry to volunteers and visitors from the outside is a reminder that they too are that same beloved child of God. The work of PCA congregations goes on to provide those inside and those outside a concrete way to live out that identity.