WHY ANOTHER PRISON MINISTRY?
WHO WE ARE
STATEMENT OF
FAITH
MISSIONARY PARTNERSHIPS
HOW YOUR CHURCH CAN GET INVOLVED
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Daily Quiet Time Series
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Shared Bible Studies
FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS
GAP & YOU
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
WHAT IS GAP?
GAP is a ministry that seeks to establish
prison ministry programs within the local church to bridge the divide
separating itself and the incarcerated church body, as well as
commission and support imprisoned Christians as missionaries to the
incarcerated.
HOW IS THIS ACCOMPLISHED?
By encouraging personal
fellowship-relationships between believers, we believe Christians on
both sides of prison walls will be drawn together to build one another
in the faith and bridge the gap.
WHAT DOES FELLOWSHIP MEAN?
Much as with the local church, a believer
inside needs fellowship to grow spiritually. As believers outside form a
bond of fellowship with a brother/sister in prison, spiritual growth is
always the goal. This occurs through letter writing, Quiet Time Bible
studies, sharing of personal testimonies, and prayer. As trust is built,
arrangements for visits may become a possibility.
HOW DOES FELLOWSHIP BEGIN WITH A BELIEVER
IN PRISON?
Friendship starts in much the same way as in
the local church. An introduction is made by GAP or the church's
ministry coordinator. Fellowship develops as the believers get to know
each other.
HOW DO I FIND SOMEONE TO PARTNER WITH?
GAP will work through your local church to
form teams to partner with a believer in prison who desires
fellowship. Your church will be presented with the need, and then
individuals who are interested will be trained to minister as part of your church's
ministry. This should not be started outside your church.
HOW DO I REMAIN SAFE WHILE INVOLVED?
GAP's special fellowship opportunities
encourage spiritual growth and friendship while also maintaining safety.
This is done by: (1) identifying only those inmates for fellowship who
profess faith in Jesus Christ; (2) forming ministry teams within the
local church to be overseen and managed by a ministry coordinator: and
(3) training ministry team members.
WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP AFTER A FRIENDSHIP DEVELOPS?
Believers who began writing letters and
perhaps have studied God's Word together or have visited may want to
continue the relationship at only that level of involvement, which is
OK. The relationship grows only as the Lord leads each participant. If a
continued relationship seems appropriate, or a deeper commitment is
comfortable, then team members can continue by forming a ministry
partnership with the BIP (Believer In Prison) to serve in a ministry capacity to others.
WHAT IF A DEEPER FELLOWSHIP IS NOT
DESIRED?
It would be wonderful for a partnership to
continue through all levels of involvement, but this is unrealistic to
expect in every situation. Prayer and help from your ministry
coordinator should always guide you, however don't give up early in the
process.
DO I HAVE TO STAY WITH ONLY ONE BELIEVER IN PRISON?
The Holy Spirit should provide the
leadership throughout these relationships. If God is calling you
into fellowship with several individuals, then it is up to you to decide
under the direction of the Lord.
WHAT IS A GAP MISSIONARY?
Traditionally, missionaries are equipped and
sent out from the local church by mission boards or organizations.
Similarly, GAP serves as a mission organization that commissions and
supports incarcerated believers as missionaries to the imprisoned. It
takes one who is especially called and is spiritually mature to become a
missionary. Following the Lord Jesus as their perfect role model, the
missionary must always be a servant in thought and deed,
as the apostle Paul reminds in Philippians 2:3: "In humility consider
others better than yourselves."
WHAT DOES A MISSIONARY DO?
A believer who is called as a missionary
shares the Gospel of Jesus Christ with fellow inmates and disciples new
believers. The missionary encourages their growth in the faith by
teaching and living out the truths of God's Word in their midst.
WHAT SUPPORT DOES THE MISSIONARY NEED?
Missionaries need both spiritual and
physical support. Prayer is very important for "holding up" the
missionary in difficult times as he or she establishes his/her ministry
contacts within the prison. Just as with missionaries on the foreign
field, it helps to know that there are brothers and sisters who care
about their ministry and are praying for them. Physical support may be
needed in the form of Bible study materials, Bibles, tracks, Christian
books or literature. Check with your pastor and ministry coordinator
before sending any direct monetary assistance.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE AND CALL
MISSIONARIES?
Many imprisoned Christian men and women have
answered the call to ministry. Each day they share their faith with
those around them and disciple new believers--yet, without training,
support, or direction. GAP's commitment to and support of each
missionary accomplishes this and several other important things:
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Provides formal biblical training
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Strengthens the missionary's confidence in ministry
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Gives a sense of purpose and contentment while serving
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Keeps one faithful
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Keeps one from being tempted to quit because the person feels alone
IS THE MISSIONARY SENT BY GAP OR THE
LOCAL CHURCH?
The local church becomes the sending body of
the missionary, while GAP serves as the missions organization that
assists the local church in its sending task and commissions each
missionary. This is consistent with how most missionaries are sent out
from the local assembly. GAP can also provide the local church and the
missionary support in the form of biblical resource materials, training
and guidance on how to maintain the missionary's ministry. In the
absence of local church commitment, GAP will assist the missionary until a local assembly becomes involved.
WHAT DIFFERENTIATES GAP FROM OTHER PRISON MINISTRIES?
GAP believes genuine spiritual growth must
take place in the context of personal godly relationships. So we
encourage close personal relationships between believers, which is
normally not encouraged by most other prison ministries. GAP's
missionary component is also unique because it facilitates the
commissioning of incarcerated believers to reach the lost and disciple
new believers.
DOES GAP NEED SUPPORT?
Definitely. GAP encourages local church
bodies to: (1) support us in prayer; (2) begin a prison ministry,
forming partnerships with imprisoned Christian brothers and sisters; and
(3) support the ministry financially.
WHO RECOGNIZES GAP?
GAP (Grace Alliance Partnerships) is
recognized by the Internal Revenue Service of the United States as a
501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, as such, any contributions made to it
are recognized as "tax deductible" in nature.
IS GAP'S FOCUS EVANGELISM?
GAP believes deeply in the need to proclaim
Christ to the unsaved world, whether free or incarcerated. However, many
prison ministry organizations do very well in this area, so we feel that
God has called us into a ministry of encouraging evangelism and
discipleship of prisoners from the inside. This begins by training,
equipping, supporting and commissioning imprisoned believers to proclaim
Christ.
MORE QUESTIONS?
If you have any other questions, or wish to
participate, please contact us at:
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