What it means to seek revival inside and outside prison walls
In June 2024, President and CEO Heather Rice-Minus unveiled the new mission and vision of Prison Fellowship. The new vision emphasizes Prison Fellowship’s desire to see revival of the Church inside and outside prison that brings justice, mercy, and hope to our culture. We believe this vision will be realized through equipping the Church for ministry and encountering Jesus with those behind bars.
God alone can bring revival, but we can posture ourselves for it. And after nearly 50 years of ministry, that’s exactly what we want to do.
WHAT’S IN A WORD: REVIVAL
At Prison Fellowship, we are compelled by a vision of revival in individuals and churches, a revival with impact that will reach the culture at large. But what does this look like?
We believe revival means individual Christians remembering who they are. It is a calling back into faithfulness concerning our relationship with the Creator—much like when God called Israel back to Himself. Revival is not so much “doing a new thing” as it is holding tightly to a truth we have known from the start of time: the truth of who God is, what He has done for us, and what it looks like to live in this reality. While revival may result in new actions from an individual or group, revival itself is about an inward returning of hearts.
Revival first starts with personal transformation that is marked by prayer. When individual hearts are transformed, a greater collective revival is then possible. This is not something we can bring about ourselves but is an overflow of our encountering Jesus. From these individual encounters, a greater renewal in communities and culture can be experienced.
In truth, revival cannot be manufactured but is a surprising and spontaneous outpouring of new and renewed passion for God when Christians are postured toward faithfulness. We don’t seek to create revival, but rather follow the Holy Spirit into revival.
A LARGER EXPERIENCE
We believe that revival will occur when local churches encounter Jesus with the Church inside. This aspect of revival is emphasized in our mission to equip the Church for ministry with the incarcerated, including equipping brothers and sisters already following Jesus in prison to minister right where they are. The intention of Prison Fellowship is not to do ministry alone, but to stand alongside churches as revival is experienced inside and outside prisons.
When revival occurs, culture at large is impacted. We believe a revival of the Church will become a witness to our culture, sparking a renewed understanding of the dignity and sacredness of all people. In action, this will lead to policies and public discourse that reflect the God-given dignity of all people involved—both victims and victimizers. A renewed culture will no longer tolerate indifference toward the oppressed nor the oppressor.
While we seek to experience revival in ourselves and our churches that overflows into our culture, we know that this encounter with the Holy Spirit cannot occur alone. It will happen when the Church outside encounters Jesus with the Church inside. We believe this is when revival will come, and we will see justice, mercy, and hope spread to our nation.
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