Ministry in Correctional Settings

Course Syllabus

Course Description

This course prepares you to serve faithfully and safely as a volunteer in correctional ministry under the authority of a facility chaplain. You will study the biblical call to remember the prisoner, learn in general terms how jails, prisons, juvenile facilities, and community corrections differ, and see why security comes first and why the chaplaincy office directs all religious programming. You will learn the volunteer's place under the chaplain, the boundaries that protect residents and volunteers alike (no contraband, no carrying anything in or out, no personal relationships or outside contact), and how to recognize manipulation with grace instead of suspicion. You will consider the gift and responsibility of ministering as someone with lived experience, remembering that each facility decides whether and when former residents may serve. You will practice planning worship services, Bible studies, and one-on-one visits; ministering to women with trauma-informed care; supporting families and children of incarcerated parents; writing letters within facility rules; and building bridges to churches and services before release. You will finish with a Correctional Ministry Proposal written to a facility chaplain, with a sample session outline. This is a lay ministry credential, not a chaplaincy ordination or a clinical license. Every activity can be completed on paper.

Faith Integration

Jesus counted visiting the prisoner as visiting Him: I was in prison, and ye came unto me (Matthew 25:36). Hebrews 13:3 asks us to remember those in bonds as bound with them, which means with empathy and solidarity, not from a distance or from above. Jesus announced that He came to preach deliverance to the captives and to set at liberty them that are bruised (Luke 4:18). Correctional ministry is part of that mission. We serve with humility under those God has placed in authority (Titus 3:1; Hebrews 13:17), with honesty that holds up in the sight of God and people (2 Corinthians 8:21), and with respect for every person's freedom to choose whom she will serve (Joshua 24:15). Grace, not shame, sets the tone. We are not saviors; Christ is. We plant and water, and God gives the increase (1 Corinthians 3:6).

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

1. Explain the biblical call to minister to people in prison and their families (Matthew 25:36; Hebrews 13:3; Luke 4:18).
2. Describe in general terms how jails, prisons, juvenile facilities, and community corrections differ, and how those differences shape ministry.
3. Explain why security comes first, describe the authority of the chaplaincy office, and describe the volunteer's place under the chaplain.
4. Follow volunteer boundaries without exception: no contraband, nothing carried in or out for anyone, no personal relationships, gifts, or contact outside approved channels.
5. Recognize manipulation with grace, and report safety concerns, threats, and any sexual abuse or harassment through facility channels.
6. Describe the gift and the responsibility of ministering with lived experience, including asking the facility before assuming eligibility to serve.
7. Plan worship services, Bible studies, and one-on-one visits that respect religious freedom and never coerce.
8. Minister to incarcerated women and their families with trauma-informed care, and serve children of incarcerated parents within program rules.
9. Carry out letter ministry within facility rules and connect women to churches and services before release through approved channels.
10. Write a Correctional Ministry Proposal to a facility chaplain with a sample session outline.

Course Materials

• This student workbook
• A Bible (King James Version)
• A notebook or lined paper and a folder
• Pen or pencil (no devices are required; every activity has a paper version)
• Your When to Get Help card (new copies provided in Module 3)
• A blank Facility Rules Sheet to complete with your instructor (provided in Module 3)

Weekly Schedule

How You Will Be Graded

To pass this course: earn 70% or higher overall and attend at least 80% of sessions.

Classroom Covenant

• We begin and end each session in prayer. Participation in prayer is always welcome, never required.
• What is shared in class stays in class. We protect one another's stories.
• We speak with respect, listen without interrupting, and disagree with grace.
• We come prepared, do our own work, and ask for help when we need it.
• We follow all facility rules. Safety and security come first.
• We believe the best about one another and about what God can do.

Support & Accommodations

If reading, writing, vision, hearing, or any other need makes a part of this course harder, tell your instructor privately. Materials can be read aloud, enlarged, or completed orally. Missed sessions can be made up using the module pages. If you are transferred or released, your completed work stays on record and you can finish online.

Welcome

Welcome to Ministry in Correctional Settings. This companion walks beside you with a weekly reading, five devotions for the days between sessions, and a Quick Guide of volunteer rules and safety steps to keep with you. Remember: this is lay ministry training under the authority of a facility chaplain. Security comes first, every rule matters, and you never carry a crisis alone.

How to Use This Companion

• Read the weekly reading after each class session. It takes about 10 minutes.
• Reflect on the questions. These are for you; you do not have to turn them in.
• Meet with God through the five daily devotions between sessions.
• Keep the Quick Guide at the end to carry home after release.

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.— Psalm 119:105 (KJV)