ARLINGTON, Va. — The John Leland Center for Theological Studies is partnering with Prison Fellowship International to provide training and educational opportunities for the seminary’s master of divinity students.
The collaboration, announced Jan. 30, is part of Leland’s ministry rotation requirements for M.Div. students. Two four-month rotations are necessary to earn the degree, each with a focus on mission/evangelism, justice/advocacy or chaplaincy. Students maintain a journal of their experiences and write a reflection paper at the end of each rotation.
The late Charles Colson, founder of Prison Fellowship International, distributing Bibles inside a prison. (RNS photo courtesy Prison Fellowship)
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“When I considered what organizations to partner with for our advocacy course they needed to embody a robust theology of justice in their DNA and work,” Tom Lynch, Leland’s director of ministry rotations said in a press release. “Prison Fellowship International certainly meets those standards.”
Prison Fellowship International is a criminal justice ministry based in Washington with more than 100 affiliated organizations around the world. It was founded in 1976 by former Nixon aide Charles Colson after his release from prison on charges related to the Watergate scandal. Colson died last year.
“Prison Fellowship International appreciates the work of the John Leland Center for Theological Studies in training and equipping church leaders to share God’s heart for justice through training in advocacy work,” said Dan Van Ness, the prison ministry’s vice president. “We look forward to the rich lessons to be learned as students explore issues related to prison conditions around the world.”
The Leland Center is based in the Washington suburbs and offers classes at several locations in Virginia. The seminary partners with both the Baptist General Association of Virginia and the District of Columbia Baptist Convention.
Robert Dilday (rdilday@religiousherald.org) is managing editor of the Religious Herald.