As Christians, we are all to remember those in prison, as if we were there ourselves. God might lead us to pray for prisoners, to write to them or visit them, to help their families. There are many positive, effective ways to respond.

God might even be calling you to develop a prison ministry or to serve in one. As I talked to people in this kind of ministry, one thing stood out. Although holding church services is a good thing, it's not enough. On-going consistent discipleship is needed. One ministry that is doing this very effectively is the Transformation Project in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

The Transformation Project is an alternative sentencing program for drug-related offenders. This ministry uses the small group format of Living Free to impart the resources of God to those participants wishing to learn to change their lives by total surrender to Jesus Christ. TP leaders want their participants to not merely survive, but to thrive in their new lives in Christ. In order to accomplish that goal the resources of God must be incorporated into the new thought patterns: the WORD of God, the SPIRIT of God and the PEOPLE of God. 

Wayne Keylon, Founder and President of Transformation Project says, "In my 28 years of experience in working with people who have alcohol and drug problems, it has become clear to me that unless there is a change of heart, attitudes and behaviors will not change.   

God is working through this Chattanooga-based ministry to transform lives. In a letter to Wayne, The Honorable Clarence Shattuck, a judge in the General Sessions Court of Hamilton, said,

"Recently, I had the opportunity to speak to several of the men in the program outside the courtroom. I was very impressed by their commitment, enthusiasm and witness. I am confident that the Lord is at work in this program through the devoted efforts of many committed people, and most importantly, the lives are being transformed."  

Pre-Release. While still incarcerated at CCA-Silverdale or the Hamilton County Jail, male and female participants are introduced to the small group format with Living Free. After that introduction we begin a 9-session small group study called Insight Group. This curriculum is designed to help the individual participant to identify areas of stronghold or struggle in their own life.

After the participants complete Insight Group they have the opportunity to petition the courts for early release or furlough to our program on the outside.

According to Joel Davenport, Director of Programs (photo on right), post-release services include life skill and employment skill classes, small groups using Living Free curriculum, large group meetings on Thursday evenings, coaching and family services.

Guest Room Ministry. This part of the ministry has been added more recently to provide a home where individuals can come and live in a loving, supportive Christian environment that will help them meet their objective to live a self-sufficient, productive lifestyle in Christ. This program provides housing for men and women who are in crisis or in the transition back into society from jail, the workhouse, prison or a treatment program. It will also house men who are on their way to another program. Regardless of their length of stay, all residents are equal in authority and responsibility.

Each guest room is self-run and self-supporting. Persons who reside in TP's guest housing are free to come and go as per their agreements. The participants are honored guests. This program consists of a community of believers who share a common background and can strengthen and exhort one another in Christian fellowship. Permanent housing arrangements and independence are a goal of this program as the participant plugs in to the body of Christ within their community.

The Transformation Project ministry is working! They report that in 2008 they ministered to more than 907 inmates through small groups in their Pre-Release program, made more than 215 court appearances advocating for their applicants to receive their help (or for revocation hearings in cases where the individuals failed to comply) and had more than 64 men and women in their Post-Release (22 of them in their Guest Room residential partnerships), as well as sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with more than 1,900 inmates through evangelistic events at jails, detention centers and prisons.

Joel Davenport, Director of Programs says, "We have already expanded our ministry this year [2009] to have another campus here in Hamilton County and begin developing campuses in 16 other counties!  

For more information, please visit

The Transformation Project

or send an e-mail to

Learn more about Living Free small groups.

Other Prison Ministries and Helpful Websites

Christian Videos for Prisons. We are a nonprofit, nondenominational, evangelical ministry designed to help chaplains, prison ministries and wardens evangelize and disciple prisoners through showings of carefully selected, high-quality Christian videos (mainly in English and Spanish).    Our mission is to provide assistance to financially-needy prison chaplains who need to use these important materials but lack funds. For those who can afford to pay something, we offer special prison discounts. For those who have no money to work with, we provide videos free (as the Lord supplies funds).

Florida Integrity Training. The 100-hour program is centered around well-established programs and structured published materials that lend themselves to the modular approach. Again, Living Free curriculum is an important part of the training. "We are offering proven, life-changing teaching and interaction based on practical applications from God’s Word, the Bible.  We wholeheartedly believe in the power of God's Word to transform lives.  We work with instructors that believe the same.  It is our passion, our mission, our purpose, to teach a way of life that truly adds purpose and real meaning to every aspect of life."

Free Inside. Free Inside is a Christ-centered prison ministry, bringing the Gospel of the love of Jesus Christ to the incarcerated through the Alpha Course and other Christ-centered courses.

International Network of Prison Ministries (INPM). Our goals are to provide easy access for inmates and their families to get effective help from the prison ministries which best serve their needs, to provide easy access for prison ministries to discover each other, and to allow members to communicate with each other using spam-free Secure Email Forms of the network simplifying exchange of experience and news, and to introduce prison ministries to Christian society.

Lifeline Connection. Lifeline Connection is small group ministry, offering a faith-based alternative to court-ordered secular groups.    It was out of the life-changing experience and teachings of Christian renewal movements like the Oxford Movement and Wesleyan Revival, that many of the concepts of recovery came into being. Returning the concepts of AA back to its Christian origins, gives the faith-based community a proven model of 12 steps!    Lifeline uses a variety of small group curriculum that is available from Living Free, and all Lifeline Connection ministries should utilize the five components of recovery, applied through the Life-plan.

Living Free. Living Free small group training and curriculum are being used with great success in prison ministries, as well as in churches and other ministries around the world. God is transforming lives through these Bible-based Christ-centered groups. Groups that have been especially successful for prison include Living Free Training, Insight Group, Stepping into Freedom, Anger: Your Master or Your Servant, Peacemaking: A Biblical Guide to Conflict Resolution, Free to Grow, Authentic Living in an Artificial World and Restoring Families.

Narrow Road Prison Ministry. "Our vision is to get the message of the Gospel to as many prisoners as possible."

Prison Fellowship. Founded by Chuck Colson, Prison Fellowship partners with local churches across the country to minister to a group that society often scorns and neglects: prisoners, ex-prisoners, and their families.

Sowing Seeds. There is a genuine need in our community for a Christ Centered program to help men in crisis and men coming from incarceration as they make a successful transition back into society. These are men who have no one they can count on and no where to go. We help them get re-established by grounding them in the belief that Christ loves them and has a plan for their life.

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