Южный методистский колледж отмечает 10-летие программы подготовки пасторов для тюрем

WAKE FOREST, N.C. — Last week marked the 10th anniversary of Judson College’s prison programs, from which 62 field minister graduates are currently serving on teams across 16 North Carolina correctional facilities. Established in partnership with Game Plan for Life and the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction (NCDAC), Judson’s first Field Minister Program began in 2016 at Nash Correctional Institution, offering a fully accredited Bachelor of Arts degree designed to educate and equip long-term incarcerated individuals to serve as field ministers in their unique context. Since the founding of the first program, Judson has established two more Field Minister Programs at the North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women in Raleigh and the Lowell Correctional Institution in Ocala, Fla. “We have a vision for incarcerated men and women, created in the image of God and with purpose, to flourish as human beings — yes, even while in prison,” said Rocky Wright, director of Prison Programs. “Such a vision could not even begin to be realized without the meaningful partnerships for which we are so thankful. It truly takes the people of Judson College, the NC Department of Adult Correction, Game Plan for Life, N.C. Baptists and others working shoulder to shoulder to accomplish this shared mission.” The first cohort of students from Nash graduated Dec. 15, 2021, after successfully completing a Bachelor of Arts degree in pastoral ministry despite the disruption of COVID-19. Today, they and graduates of four other cohorts are serving their incarcerated populations in immeasurable ways. Their ministry on the field includes leading Bible studies and discipleship groups; teaching and facilitating a variety of classes; discipling, counseling and mentoring fellow offenders; providing visitation ministry to offenders in other facility units; giving tutoring and academic support; and serving peers in the processes of entering and leaving the prison system. During the anniversary celebration and fall convocation ceremony, current field minister student William Singletary shared his own story of coming into the program. It began when, as a new believer, he met four deployed field ministers at his facility, Granville Correctional. “They not only became my mentors; they became my friends. These men challenged me in ways that I never anticipated,” Singletary said. “Their presence was not only uplifting but instrumental in my growth and development as an individual and a man of faith. Exposure to these ministers opened my eyes to the profound impact we can have on one another’s lives, even in the most unlikely of places. I watched as they poured their energy into helping others find peace, joy and purpose amidst their struggles.” Watching and experiencing the work of these field ministers firsthand, Singletary chose to apply to the program himself, and he is now studying alongside his own cohort of future field ministers. “The North Carolina Field Minister Program has not only transformed my life but has also inspired me with a passion to serve others,” Singletary shared. “The impact of this program reaches far beyond the confines of these walls. It cultivates hope and resilience that can change lives.” Throughout the ceremony, attendees also heard testimonies and reflections from a range of other speakers, including Wright; Judson College Dean Seth Bible; Alpha Herring, program supervisor at Nash; Joe Gibbs, founder of Game Plan For Life, the Prison Program’s primary financial partner; Tammera Hill, chief operating officer for the NCDAC; Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS) President Emeritus Danny Akin; Leslie Dismukes, secretary for the NCDAC; and Southeastern President Scott Pace. “If someone were to ask me, ‘What is the most impactful program in our department?’ I would say, ‘Hands down, without a doubt, it’s our Field Minister Program,’” Dismukes shared. “This program allows us to bring partners from the outside to reach you, and then it allows you, when you earn your yellow shirt, to reach everyone, all 33,000 people who are with us in the department. And that is a huge mission and a huge charge, but you are credible messengers. You are the people who can change lives.” Toward the end of the ceremony, field minister Barry Mintz, a member of the first cohort, shared some of his own testimony and experience of the past 10 years. “I’m 21 years into a life sentence without parole,” Mintz said, “and my journey to this moment right now is a testament to the transformative power of faith and education.” Mintz shared about the impact of the program on his life in bringing him to a saving faith in Christ. He recounted his experiences teaching and serving others as a field minister. And he closed with a story about an offender who lost his father the day before he was released from prison. Mintz visited the incarcerated man that night, and he recalled how, in that dark moment, he knew there were many options for what he could say. “I felt equipped to give him all the theological answers, the biblical answers, all the best practices for counseling someone in grief,” Mintz said. But instead, God impressed on him the words of John 13:34-35: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (ESV). As Mintz recounted, “I just opened my arms. I said, ‘Come here, man.’ And I just embraced him. And in that moment, I realized that we weren’t just equipped to think well, to read well, to write well and speak well — but we had been equipped to love well.” To those gathered for convocation and the 10-year anniversary, Mintz said, “I can tell you, I stand here today, not just as a graduate of the North Carolina Field Minister Program, but I stand here as a witness to the profound effect that grace, education and empathy can have on our lives.” (EDITOR’S NOTE — Mary Asta Mountain serves as news and marketing writer for Southeastern Seminary.)