April 6, 2009 issue
Prisoners become ministers
Hesston College pastoral program offers inmates a path to serve God
By Laurie Oswald Robinson For Mennonite Weekly ReviewHESSTON, Kan. — John Thomas, once a drug user and now a pastor, vowed he would not be the same man when he got out of prison.
Jim Dunn, a pastor and Hesston College adjunct professor, teaches at Ellsworth Correctional Facility. — Photo by Laurie Oswald Robinson
It took emotional and spiritual grit to fulfill that vow. It also took a faith community that nurtured God’s purposes for his future.
A growing number of people such as Thomas need that combination to move past prison and to shed the stigma of having been there.
The Pastoral Ministries Program at Hesston College is reimagining prison ministry by training prisoners to become ministers.
Chaplaincy used to be the main way to care for prisoners. But that isn’t enough, said Palmer Becker, former director of the Hesston program who began teaching classes inside the Ellsworth Correctional Facility.
Becker wanted to open the door for a new source of potential ministers: the U.S. prison population — at 2.3 million, the world’s largest.
“Prisons contain a vast crowd of people, many with unusual abilities and considerable potential,” Becker said. “Rather than simply visiting these prisons with a chaplaincy ministry, a solid training program is needed.”
Becker saw that potential during his first encounters with people at the prison.
“They had seen the dark side of life,” Becker said. “They had plenty of time to study and prepare for the next chapter of their lives. Something within me said, ‘These will make fine inner-city pastors!’ ”
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