The School of Christ Prison Ministry
About Revival in the Prisons
"...I was in prison, and ye came unto me." Matthew 25:36
In reaching this generation for Christ, the School of Christ has now become the most effective prison ministry in the world. Not just because of size, but because of its effectiveness.
We have already placed the school in sixty-two prisons in Russia, with many more in South America and Africa. Our contract with the CCA (Corrections Corporation of America), has placed the School of Christ in sixty-seven prisons throughout this country with more being added. The school has literally been transforming the prison population.
We knew it just wasn't possible to place a school in every prison facility, so we began putting together the Correspondence Course in hopes of reaching as many inmates as we could and in January of 2006 we mailed out our first packet.
In the last seven years, our office has reached well over 65,000 inmates with the SOC Correspondence Course in over 1,300 facilities in 43 states. These figures don't include the unknown number of facilities that we are in through the work of volunteers from Church's across the country and of other ministries who use our material.
The work continues to spread throughout our nation's prisons like wildfire and we are anxiously looking for revival to break out among our students.
A Burden for Prisoners
Jesus made it clear that those in prison were His as well as any other people (Matthew 25:36). He came to die for the lost and it is our responsibility to reach every man with the Gospel no matter what he has done.
The man behind bars is no different than the man walking the streets, they both need the Savior. The great Apostle Paul said,
"Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God."
Paul pretty well covered where most of us have been, and what the Lord has saved us from, now we owe a debt to our brothers and sisters behind bars.
Most people fear prisoners because of the stigma of prison, but were we any better in God's sight? These are souls that Christ died for and their blood will be upon our hands if we do not include them while fulfilling the great commission.
We have had such great testimonies come out of the prison population that we believe God has fully ordained this work and has blessed our efforts to bring the true Word of God to the men and women behind bars.
How the Prison Course Works
The School of Christ itself is comprised of 156 lessons divided up into 19 series and the Prison Correspondence Course is made up entirely of these School of Christ materials. We have literally taken the manual and broke it up into nineteen individual series booklets. Along with these booklets we have included a series quiz which the student will take at the end of each study.
Once we received the name of an inmate who is interested in the course, we mail them their first series called the "Conflict" along with detailed instructions about the course.
This course is self paced and usually takes anywhere from six months to a year to complete depending on the student. We provide everything, even a stamped envelope to return their tests in. There is absolutely no cost to any inmate who is currently incarcerated.
We grade their test and answer any questions or prayer requests, then return the graded test along with their next packet. There are a total of four study packets sent to each student. The fifth packet includes only the results of their final exam, their Certificate and a letter of congratulations from us.
The first packet contains Series #1-4, the second includes Series #5-11, the third includes Series #12-16 and the fourth includes Series #17-19. We provide a Certificate of Completion for every student who completes the course with at least a 70% overall grade.
A Testimony of Life
The greatest sign of God's approval on anything is the presence of His Life. Jesus said, "I am the Way the Truth and the Life," The greatest testimony that has come out of the SOC Prison Ministry Correspondence Course is the testimony of a changed life, and that changed life touches the lives of others.
In chapter 8 of the book of Acts, it's recorded that the church was persecuted, and as a result spread throughout Judea and Samaria. Verse 4 says, "Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word." This was the work of the Holy Spirit spreading the Gospel during the first century Church.
This very same work is being fulfilled by the Holy Spirit in our prison facilities today.
We started out with just a hand full of prisons using the Correspondence Course, but as is normal in the prison population, inmates are transferred on a regular basis from one facility to another; all the while the Holy Spirit was spreading the School of Christ with them.
This is what is so exciting; our students are not just carrying another lifeless Bible study, but rather Life itself, because the Life is in them. Jesus said, "I give you Life." This is what the School of Christ is all about.
Inmates want this School, not just because it's an intense Bible study but because of the change they have seen in the students who have already taken it, they want what the others have a heart that has been set free through the power of the truth in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Holy Spirit is moving the School of Christ into places we could never go. In keeping with Brother Clendennen's vision, we are making missionaries and sending them out to those whom we could never reach. The testimonies that are coming back are heart rending and incredibly powerful. We are making a difference!
Directory of U.S. prison facilities using the SOC Correspondence Course
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