A new Prison Ministry website available through ChurchofJesusChrist.org and the Gospel Library app offers guiding principles for ministering to incarcerated individuals and their families. Resources are also available for individuals and families affected by crime and incarceration, emphasizing the love and mercy that comes through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
“The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of many faith and community organizations that work together to help those affected by crime and incarceration,” reads the introduction to the site, accessed via the Life Help library. “We are all invited to follow the example of Jesus Christ by caring for those who are or have been incarcerated and their family members.”
“I spent four and a half years in federal prison,” said Portia Louder, a formerly incarcerated Latter-day Saint. “I know that the way that I was loved and supported made a huge difference. When you can see somebody and recognize their divine potential, maybe even before they can see it, you can make a profound impact in their life.”
Resources for Leaders and Members Called to Serve
The Prison Ministry website also highlights individual preparation, guidelines, and safety tips for individuals as they go about their prison ministry activities. This information provides help for leaders as they establish worship services in correctional facilities, manage records, and make use of Church and community resources.
In a video directed to leaders, Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles tells stake presidents that organizing stake members to help minister in a prison facility will be a blessing to the stake.
“All that you call to serve in this situation will be changed forever,” he says. “All who are called to serve will understand the Atonement of Jesus Christ better. All will come back to the stake more committed to the gospel of Jesus Christ, the gospel of repentance, and all that is core to the doctrine of Christ.”
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