Institutional Ministries (IM), a WELS-affiliated ministry, was founded in 1901 for the purpose of meeting the spiritual needs of those who are institutionalized. Today, the team of chaplains and volunteers serves inmates in 20 different states through in-person ministry and other resources.

In November 2024, Institutional Ministries and WELS Prison Ministry, which started in 1993 as part of the WELS Commission on Special Ministries, started to work collaboratively toward an integration that would better steward the ministry resources with which God has blessed them.

“Our hope,” says Joel Gaertner, director of Special Ministries, “is that by placing all prison work under one organization, we can be more faithful with the resources our Lord has given us and serve more people with the good news of Jesus in Word and sacraments.”

Following a year of discussions and working out logistics, WELS Prison Ministry is nearly completely integrated into the ministry work of Institutional Ministries. This organization now distributes materials and coordinates volunteers so that the important work of reaching those impacted by incarceration with the saving gospel message can continue.

“The goal of our integration is to complement and support the unified message of God’s grace in Christ in order to reach as many souls as possible,” says Edward Frey, director of ministry at Institutional Ministries. He explains that the printed resources complement the in-person ministry facilitated by Institutional Ministries. The study booklets that WELS Prison Ministry has mailed for years to inmates share and reinforce the same gospel message inmates hear during the Bible studies conducted by Institutional Ministries. The established volunteer pen pal program managed by WELS Prison Ministry reinforces the teaching of law and gospel in a written format that is also shared in one-on-one visits from Institutional Ministries chaplains and volunteers.

Frey says, “The integration benefits those being served because they have access to a comprehensive set of resources in which to learn and understand God’s plan of salvation in Christ. Those who request a Bible study booklet may also receive GraceLinks devotions, the support of a pen pal, or one-on-one visits offered at their facility. Inmates who are close to a release date may also enroll in Institutional Ministries’ HelpReturning program, which offers resources after incarceration. By working together, more people can receive greater support.”

“We fully trust that Jesus will bless this integration to his glory and for the eternal benefit of the people we are privileged to serve,” concludes Gaertner. “What joy the Lord gives us to touch the lives of thousands of people who are or were behind bars with the good news of forgiveness won by Jesus.”

Learn more about the work of Institutional Ministries and how to support ministry to those impacted by incarceration.