Integrating to improve ministry efficiency
WELS Prison Ministry and Institutional Ministries are working collaboratively toward an integration that would better steward the ministry resources with which God has blessed them. The ministry and resources of WELS Prison Ministry will be part of and administered by Institutional Ministries.
āWhile much has been accomplished with WELS Prison Ministry and Institutional Ministries working collaboratively for the last few decades, it makes good sense to eliminate any duplication of efforts and put all ministry to the incarcerated and their families together under one entity,ā says Rev. Joel Gaertner, director, WELS Commission on Special Ministries.
WELS Prison Ministry, part of WELS Commission on Special Ministries, started in 1993 when a group of volunteers assisted WELS Special Ministries in launching a nationwide ministry providing religious materials to prison chaplains and inmates. WELS Prison Ministry has distributed materials to about 2,500 facilities to date throughout the United States and also trains mentors for released offenders and church teams to conduct ministries for inmates at local jails.
Institutional Ministries, a WELS-affiliated ministry, was founded in 1901 for the purpose of meeting the spiritual needs of those who were institutionalized. Today, the team of chaplains and volunteers serves inmates in a growing number of states through in-person ministry and other resources. This behind-the-walls ministry focuses on four unique areas: correctional care, health care, extended care, and caring support. GraceLinks, Institutional Ministriesā e-mailed devotional ministry, is sent to inmates across 20 states.
āThe idea is that by putting all prison work resources under one organization, we can be more productive and have better workflow. Both WELS Prison Ministry and Institutional Ministries are excited about this opportunity to be better equipped and organized, promoting growth,ā says Rev. Phil Henselin, executive director, Institutional Ministries. āTogether, with Godās blessing, we can work powerfully. Pray that God blesses this process with wisdom, discernment, and the support needed to continue to faithfully share his Word behind walls!ā
Discussions between the two ministries are ongoing with the goal of fully integrating by June 2026. The two ministries will work together to best determine the logistical and administrative details of the integration.
For those who faithfully support either of these ministries with financial gifts, support can be given as it has in the past, until details regarding the integration of financial support are determined.
Learn more at wels.net/prison and IM.life.