As Kairos Prison Ministry International marks 50 years, volunteers keep returning behind bars — bringing Christ’s love and healing to broken lives
DEBARY, Fla. — A Christian ministry that helps men and women in America’s prisons find hope and start over is marking a half-century of transforming lives and breaking the cycle of incarceration.
Karl Schlenker seemed to have the perfect life — married to his childhood sweetheart, a father-of-three, and a successful businessman. But his world was shattered when he committed a crime and was sentenced to prison, bringing embarrassment and shame on his family.
WATCH his story here.
“I knew I needed God’s forgiveness,” he said.
Volunteers with Kairos Prison Ministry International came to the prison and held a weekend of faith-centered talks and discussions, a program known as Kairos Inside.
“They were so gracious and kind,” Schlenker said. “By the end of the weekend, I had cried, I had opened up about my struggles. I forgave myself for the things I had done wrong and the times I had hurt people… the damage I had done to my family, the embarrassment to my wife who was a first-grade teacher and to my children.”
Schlenker says he also got right with God.
“I found healing,” he said. “My life was transformed from the inside out.”
Now Schlenker has come full circle — and he is one of those committed Kairos volunteers going into prisons with a message of hope. “I’m so fortunate to have become a part of the Kairos ministry,” he said, “to be able to walk back through those prison gates and help other men.”
When one prisoner’s life is changed, the impact can ripple through the prison, Schlenker said. “It becomes exponential and many more become changed in incredible ways,” he added.
America’s Incarceration Crisis
More than one million Americans are incarcerated in state prisons — and nearly half of state prisoners are parents of minor children. Hundreds of thousands more are being held in county jails and federal and youth facilities, according to official U.S. government statistics.
In October, Kairos will mark 50 years of ministry to prisoners and their families. The ministry’s work in prisons, youth facilities, and among prisoners’ families has never been as needed as it is now, said Evelyn Lemly, the organization’s CEO.
During the past half-century, Lemly said, the ministry’s volunteers have helped thousands of prisoners like Schlenker turn their lives around, breaking the cycle of incarceration and restoring them to their families and communities.
Prisoners who have participated in Kairos programs have a significantly lower rate of re-offending and ending up back behind bars. A study of more than 500 inmates released from Florida prisons showed recidivism rates of 10-15% for those who participated in Kairos programs — well below the 23% recidivism rate for non-participants.
“This is all because of the dedication of our volunteers, and the love of Christ that shines out of them,” Lemly said. “Without them, and their practical display of God’s love, none of this could happen.”
Ministry Goes Global
Over the past half-century, Kairos has grown into an international ministry, serving more than 500 prisons and communities across the U.S. and in several nations across four continents.
Volunteers minister to men and women inside prisons, come alongside family members of prisoners to offer support, and mentor young offenders.
“It takes a combination of things to impact a prisoner’s life and change their behavior,” Lemly said. “Our volunteers come back week after week. It’s a real team effort, involving prison chaplains, education programs, local churches, and other partners. And it requires meeting every single person where they’re at in life.”
But she says it is the week-in, week-out demonstration of God’s love and the message of forgiveness in Christ that “transforms hearts and restores broken lives.”
Fifty years on, Kairos volunteers keep showing up. And lives keep being transformed.
“It’s like I was in this big bubble of love,” one former inmate said.
MEDIA: To schedule an interview with Karl Schlenker and Kairos CEO Evelyn Lemly, contact Clem Boyd, Media Relations Director, at
Celebrating 50 years of transforming lives, Kairos Prison Ministry International is a volunteer-driven Christian ministry that brings Christ’s love and forgiveness to thousands of men, women, and youth inside prison, as well as their families on the outside. The ministry’s three core programs — Kairos Inside, Kairos Outside, and Kairos Torch — take participants on a journey to discover they are loved by God, there is hope, and they can turn their lives around.
