Attitude of the Church Toward Inmates
There is a social tendency to ostracize those who have been incarcerated as if they are infected with leprosy. Such an attitude would be contradicting to the will of Christ. The efforts that our prison ministry teams exert to lead these precious souls to Christ will be eradicated by our carelessness and indifference. Such an attitude of indifference can cause a precious soul to be spiritually aborted before it reaches a true spiritual new birth.
If we are to foster the work of prison ministry we must be willing to accept the people that we invite into our churches. They are God’s people who made some bad decisions and who had to suffer the consequences of their actions. The attitude that we display must be the attitude of Christ. Remembering that Christ always has a natural affinity toward the downtrodden, the ostracized, and the rejects of society. How often did we find Him gravitating to those whom society rejected?
Many will possess a harsh attitude toward the downtrodden until the hurricane of human disaster affects their immediate family (husband, wife, children, sister, brother, etc.) and they are caught in the quagmire of incarceration. At this moment the harshness of social indifference begins to erode and an aura of sympathy and understanding for the socially so-called unaccepted ones becomes a reality in their own lives. An attitude of humility now prevails where an attitude of harshness and indifference toward those who had fallen existed.
When men and women who have been won to Christ through our prison ministry teams enter our churches, we must demonstrate the love of Christ toward them. We must…
a. Be loving, compassionate and understanding
- Be kind, courteous and caring
- Accept them for who they are
- Help them to adjust to society
- Help them with finding jobs and housing
- Continue to nurture them in Christ
- Not be hypocritical
- Not be snobbish and self-righteous
- Not be critical and judgmental
