Colorado Prison Initiative Reaching Unreached People Group

Did you know that incarcerated people are becoming an unreached people group? In Colorado, over 17,700 people are incarcerated as of April 2025. Approximately 95% of this population will be released on parole at some point in their life. While this may seem encouraging at first glance, the recidivism rate has been steadily rising since 2020. This population of Coloradoans is in desperate need of the Gospel, but who will go? The answer is found in the incarcerated population itself.

Mid-America has partnered with Prison Seminaries Foundation of Colorado to train incarcerated men to be missionaries behind bars. Instead of typical prison ministries that visit prisons occasionally, incarcerated men are being trained to share the Gospel within their prison community as they live among them. These men are changing the prison culture one Gospel presentation at a time.

According to Lifeway research, “Almost half of churchgoers (45%) say they have had a friend or acquaintance spend time in jail, prison, or juvenile facility. More than a third (35%) say an immediate family member has been incarcerated.” Equipping these men to share the Gospel can significantly impact our churches and communities in which we live. Men leaving prison knowing Jesus have a far better impact on their families and communities than those who leave more hardened by the prison culture.

There is a great need for prison reform, and the foundation is being laid in Colorado. The Colorado Department of Corrections has asked us to train up to 100 men annually. Men in this program will graduate with a BA in Biblical Studies, explicitly focusing on counseling that addresses the challenges men face in prison, such as crisis, trauma, and family counseling. This can only be possible with your help. Would you and your church pray for us and consider if the Lord is leading you to partner with this great ministry opportunity in Colorado?