Prisons are different in Central and South America. Inmates are not always assigned cells or even sections. Populations move within a mostly open environment based on gang affiliations or sometimes, political clout.
Many of those prisons have churches, usually Pentecostal or Evangelical. In Brazil’s capital, prison churches take on the appearance of a gang. The church members dub themselves Christ’s Command, a play on Rio’s most notorious gang, Red Command. But its leadership is strict and conservative. The only permissible way to leave a prison gang is to join the church, and the gang must be convinced the person has a legitimate love for the Lord.
It is not that easy to join or start a prison church in the United States. Prisoners can’t always come and go as they like. The celled and compartmentalized layouts are not conducive to free movement. But it can be done and is done all over the country.
Cafeterias and yards often do double duty as a gathering place for believers. Some prisons have large enough chapels for those interested.
Sometimes, outside church ministries provide service leaders and maybe even a worship team. My first visit to a correctional facility was to play guitar with a church group at a Christmas service in Rahway State Prison in New Jersey. There are facilities where a chaplain leads services, but the readings and music are provided by residents of the prison. One of my favorite prison worship teams includes a guard named Rocco who carries in a stand-up bass every Sunday.
Services can vary from the standard protestant menu of song, welcome, reading, gospel, sermon, and “so long!” Often, the followers are allowed to remain in the congregation area for a time afterward to reflect or relax.
Other services are shorter and offer a simple sermon and discussion, followed by a prayer.
In Tennessee, there is a women’s correctional facility that buses 30-40 women to a Baptist church every Sunday. Their regular flock includes many ex-inmates. In Montana, inmates of one facility built a small chapel on a mountain overlooking the prison. The warden and his family are among the worshipers most Sundays.
Whatever the venue, the key to good incarcerated worship is to have strong leadership and good organization. Ideally, services or the whole faith group is led by an inmate. This helps bring other inmates into the fold. Trust and mutual respect for each other’s situation strengthen the relationship.
Bible study and Theology or Pastoral studies can help inmates learn the faith-related aspects of such a task, as well as the organizational skills needed to make it run smoothly. International Christian College and Seminary (ICCS) is one college that offers such courses to inmates. They can deliver materials or run a course online at most prison facilities in the US.
Incarcerated worship is not much different from worship offered in any other location. An educated leader can make a big difference in understanding, accepting and growing in the Word. If you have a desire to worship the Lord in your facility, why don’t you contact International Christian College and Seminary (ICCS) and let them help you grow in your Faith journey?