When looking for volunteers to work in prison ministry, the church should be a strong ally. The call to minister to the prisoner is specifically given to the church. The ministry doesn’t rely on church volunteers because they are a captive or easy audience; the ministry relies on church volunteers because they connect with the heart of Jesus and the ministry of reconciliation given to Christ’s followers. Your ministry and the local church are starting from a common ground. Benefits include:

• The ability to present to large groups of people at one time.
• Existing communication channels.
• Working across Christian traditions – we all grow as we are discipled by one another.

Prepare

• Determine what the needs of your ministry are and how volunteers could help meet those needs.
• Develop a directory of churches in the areas where you work (near prisons or near children of prisoners).
• Collect contact information for pastors and church leaders.
• Determine the specific “ask”. How will you invite the congregation to volunteer and participate? State it clearly and multiple times.
• Develop ways for the entire church to be involved in your ministry – through prayer calendars, program financial sponsorship, invitations to events, etc.
• Build an engaging presentation (including images, data and videos) that the executive director or other representative can use for cultivation.
• Develop material to leave behind at churches that should contain contact information for your office, including your website.
• Build a volunteer sign-up for your website.

Promote

• Ask for opportunities to present your ministry to the churches in your area.
• Invite groups of pastors or lay leaders to meet with the board or to visit your work.
• Be the face of the ministry – let people know that you and your team are there, in the community, leading this work.
• Ask the church to list you in their volunteer opportunities.

Present

• Utilize any current church volunteers by inviting them to share their experience with their church family.
• Consider bringing a beneficiary of the program to provide insight and testimony as part of the presentation.
• Invite creative volunteering ideas – be open to the gifts that are available in the churches.
• Collect volunteer information on-site, but also provide a digital way for collecting information after you leave.

Follow-Up

• Develop a follow-up session/meeting for those interested – to ask questions, to hear from your staff and current volunteers.
• Build on the relationship. Develop a consistent presence at the church, not only when looking for volunteers.
• Ask to present at denominational conferences or events where many churches are together.

It’s important to engage the people who are truly interested in being a part of prison ministry, because the time and resources you invest in them are exhaustible assets.

1. Human Resources

• The Executive Director and Board members will need to be available to establish relationships with and present to churches.
• You will need someone to track volunteer applications and follow-up with volunteer candidates. • You will need someone responsible for church scheduling.

2. Collateral

• Promotional materials (print and web-based).
• A general volunteer application (print and web-based).
• General ministry presentation to be given by organization leadership.

3. Time

Relationships require time — not only to build, but to maintain. When planning time, consider:

• Assessment of organizational needs that can be filled by volunteers.
• Development of church map in areas where you work.
• Time to establish communication with churches (for example, 15-minute phone call, one-or two-hour visit/lunch/church service).
• Time to build volunteer presentations and collateral.
• Travel time to churches outside of current location.
• Time to follow-up/stay in communication with churches (30 minutes per month per church).

4. Space

• You will need space to conduct presentations with churches or church leadership.

5. Cost

• The cost varies.
• Considerations include types of collateral (web or print), presentation
  types, meal/snack expenses, travel expenses, types of communication (email, phone, text).