A reflection on prison chaplaincy

Baptist minister Andy Kerr leads a multi-faith team at HMP Ford in Sussex. He explains more about the role - and highlights ways in which churches can offer support to those leaving prison

I stepped into prison ministry 13 years ago and have served in Category B, C, and D prisons during that time. I currently serve at HMP Ford as Managing Chaplain of a multi-faith team.

In many closed prisons, the Managing Chaplain is often consumed by management processes, meetings, performance targets, and ensuring that chaplaincy teams function effectively to deliver statutory duties alongside meaningful pastoral care and faith activities. While this is essential work, it can limit the amount of direct, hands-on ministry that is possible.

In Category D (open) prisons, however, the dynamic is often different. The Managing Chaplain is typically much more central to the direct provision of pastoral care, while also leading a smaller chaplaincy team. For me, this offers an invaluable balance: contributing at a strategic level as part of the Senior Leadership Team, while still having 'feet on the ground,' walking alongside prisoners in their day-to-day lives. It is stretching - but all ministry is stretching.

From a Christian perspective, as a Baptist minister, I have been particularly encouraged in recent years to see an increasing number of men who have encountered faith while in custody and who are eager to grow spiritually as they move into the open prison environment. We have already witnessed several baptisms, working in partnership with local churches to ensure these take place within the context of a wider worshipping community.

Even as I write this, another prisoner has arranged his baptism with a local church he attends on release on licence from Ford and has invited our team to attend. These moments are profoundly moving.

There is little that compares to witnessing the often slow, but unmistakable, work of God in people’s lives. Scripture itself is full of accounts of imprisonment - yet again and again we see God transcending walls and circumstances. In the open prison setting, individuals may be here for up to five years, allowing space for deep Bible study, discipleship, and spiritual growth through the real ups and downs of prison life.

Recent research suggests that following release, faith commitment often wanes during the first six to nine months before re-establishing. In response, we are working hard to encourage those who have found faith to connect with a local church as early as possible and, where feasible, to establish those relationships before release.

If your church has a heart to welcome people leaving prison, I would encourage you to engage with The Welcome Directory - an organisation that supports and equips faith communities to become truly welcoming. This enables us in prisons to make meaningful connections with supportive churches before release.

Please pray for those who minister to people in prison, for all who work within the prison system and in rehabilitation, and that the Kingdom of God will continue to grow - through those who already know Him and those who do not yet.

Thank you for your prayers and support. If anyone would like me to speak about prison work at ‘breakfasts’ or ‘meetings’ or preach at services, then I am happy to do so. You can contact me on: Andrew.Kerr1@justice.gov.uk 
 

This article originally appeared in the monthly South Eastern Baptist Association (SEBA) Association News, and is republished with permission

Image | Andy Kerr and HMP Ford