Encouraging Church Communities to Welcome Prison-Leavers

Guest author: James Seagar, The Welcome Directory

One of my greatest joys of Prison Chaplaincy is hearing stories of people who have come to Christ, or developed in their faith whilst in prison, and then become integrated into a local church after their release where they can continue to grow in their discipleship.

Those stories remind me that I am just one small, but important, ‘cog’ in the process of someone’s journey with Jesus. They walk with me for a season on the ‘inside’ and then they walk with others on the ‘outside’. Reflecting on this, I am reminded of how Jesus walked with the disciples for a season and then the Holy Spirit came to be ‘another’ who would journey with them, continuing the work of Christ in them. Whilst the theological comparison here is very limited(!), it highlights the importance of discipleship continuing, despite a radical shift in a disciple’s context.

Discipleship is most liable to stall during points of transition, and moving through the prison gates is one of those points. On their way in, people may lose faith due to the circumstances and journey through the justice system which land them in a cell. But, in my experience, faith can be shaken even more deeply by the transition out of prison.

It is estimated that only 20% of prisoners who are involved in faith activities inside prison make a meaningful connection with a faith-community after their release. That equates to 9,000 prisoners per year, whose faith stalls when moving from prison to community. There is no ‘another’ to continue walking with them on their journey. This can play a real role in the ‘revolving door’ of the Prison Service, with all too many individuals landing right back inside.

There are, of course, multiple reasons why a prison-leaver does not engage with a faith-community after their release. However, according to research by Dr Armstrong of the Institute of Criminology (University of Cambridge), one of the common barriers is a lack of confidence that they would be welcomed and accepted. 

I work for The Welcome Directory (TWD), a small charity that seeks to address this issue and enable prison-leavers to confidently make connections with churches (or other places of worship) that will accept them, regardless of their past. We do this by maintaining a directory of faith communities that are committed to welcoming prison-leavers, who have some understanding of prisoners’ experiences and issues they might face, and are able to respond in a safe way. This directory is used by Prison Chaplains, like myself, Probation Workers and other such professionals, who then use it to encourage prisoners with faith to connect with faith communities on the ‘outside’ who are committed to being ‘another’ that will walk with them in their discipleship journey after release.

Reflecting further on this, I am drawn to the story of Onesimus: Philemon’s runaway slave, who Paul likely met in a Roman prison. Onesimus came to faith through the ministry of Paul, who walked with him in the early stages of his discipleship. When the time came for Onesimus to be released Paul sent him back to Philemon with these words: “now he has become useful to… you.” (Philemon 11) 

Paul recognised two key things: that Onesimus, the imprisoned runaway slave, would need to receive continued support after his release, and that he was “useful”, being able to contribute into the context to which Paul was sending him. This reminds me that every prison-leaver has the potential to be “useful” in the Kingdom of God. Therefore, journeying alongside them not only benefits the prison-leaver but also the church. It is a tragedy (I don’t think that is too strong a word) that faith-communities are not benefiting from the God-given gifts and abilities of thousands of people with faith who leave prison each year but do not connect with congregations after release. Church, not only do Christian prison-leavers need you to be ‘another’ who will walk with them, you also need them. They are part of the body of Christ, and therefore the Church is incomplete and less effective without them.

Part of my role with TWD is to encourage more churches (and other faith-communities) to register with us, and show that they are committed to safely and supportively walking with prison-leavers to help them grow in their faith in Jesus and give back into the local church. Registration is free, but there are four simple requirements we have to ensure that the commitment is genuine:

1) approval from the senior leader of the church;

2) an active safeguarding policy with named lead;

3) appointing a “Welcome Directory Champion” who will promote welcoming principles in the church and be a point of contact for TWD;

4) having awareness of the needs of prison-leavers through experience or undertaking our free 3-session Prison Awareness Course.

And so, I extend a special invitation to CiC International Churches: we want to include you in The Welcome Directory.

If you have any questions, do get in touch with myself at james@welcomedirectory.org.uk to arrange a visit or video-call.

Alternatively, if you are ready to make that commitment now, click here to visit our website and fill out the registration form.