Kairos Prison Ministry

Kairos is an ecumenical Christian ministry whose programs are designed to be presented in state and federal men’s and women’s correctional institutions in the U.S. with adaptations for other countries and languages. It is governed by the national board of Kairos Prison Ministry, Inc.            

Kairos Prison Ministry is a Christian, volunteer, lay-led ministry made up of persons drawn from a broad denominational range of churches. These volunteers help address the spiritual needs of prisoners.            

Kairos is a ministry of the church – a ministry of the apostles whom Jesus, the Christ, has called into community and sent forth into the environment of the correctional institution.            

Kairos Prison Ministry grew out of early attempts to launch movements in prisons similar to the three-day movements in the sacramental churches of the free world. Kairos was preceded by an ecumenical Cursillo movement in Union Correctional Institution, a maximum security institution in Raiford, Florida in 1976. At the urging of the Cursillo community, the Florida group was asked to come up with a program for the prisoners, adapted to their needs and with a different name. Kairos Prison Ministry was formed and the first Kairos weekend was presented in 1979.            

Kairos Ministries currently operates in 350 prisons in 31 states in the U.S. and in 8 additional countries. Kairos currently has more than 20,000 volunteers a year. These volunteers donated over 3 million hours of their time in 2008 at the various correctional facilities here and abroad. In 2008, Kairos held a total of 618 weekend programs in 309 ministry sites. Many of the volunteers acknowledge that the team training they receive, with its emphasis on introspection, honesty, sharing, and community, enhances their spirituality.            

Kairos in Ohio started at Lebanon Correctional Institution in 1990 and had grown to include the following correctional facilities: Lebanon Correctional, Ohio Reformatory for Women, Marion Correctional, Ross Correctional, Trumbull Correctional, Toledo Correctional, North Central Correctional, Franklin Pre-Release and Warren Correctional.            

Reunion weekends are held monthly following Kairos weekend, and all graduates from the program get together with the volunteers for worship, prayer and fellowship. The fact that the volunteers keep coming back really speaks to the fact that someone on the outside really does care about the prisoner.