I was in Prison… Now I'm a Pastor

I wanted to share a little of my life history with you.  I have spent the majority of my adult life in the Prison System.  To be specific, I spent about thirteen years behind the walls and I have been out of the system for about four years now.

Now that I have your attention, I’m happy to say that I was a Warden in the Adult Correctional System and a Superintendent in the Juvenile Justice System.  Currently, I am the Campus Pastor of the NW Oklahoma City Campus of LifeChurch.tv.  I have been pleasantly surprised at some of the similarities between leading a Prison and being a Campus Pastor.  Here are some parallels that come to mind…

• I’ve found the most effective strategy for leading people is to take care of the people (inmates or church attendees).
• The method in which you lead people, can cause them to become a great asset or pain in the asset (many times the inmates were my greatest asset as a leader, the same applies to the church members).
• In corrections and ministry, individuals are led by specific rules and organized structure.
• Ultimately provide a venue where people can be confronted, challenged and leave personal chaos behind, in order for their lives to be truly CHANGED