Our History

In 1995, graduates of DISCIPLE at Mt. Pisgah United Methodist Church in Greensboro, NC established a DISCIPLE Bible Study at Forsyth Correctional Center in Winston-Salem. This first study gave birth to the DISCIPLE Prison Ministry of North Carolina and since then the ministry has experienced tremendous growth. Since 1999, DISCIPLE Bible Study has been taught in 70 different correctional institutions in North Carolina with lay and clergy volunteers as prison volunteers.

The success of this ministry was due in part to endorsements the ministry received from the Department of Corrections in Raleigh. These endorsements opened prisons doors to United Methodist congregations in North Carolina so that the vast potential of this ministry could be realized.

DISCIPLE was needed to provide strong discipleship training to help inmates grow in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. By linking inmates with local congregations, an added benefit was that a network of caring Christian friends was established to nurture parolees as they rediscovered their place of belonging within the community. The ministry has not only benefited inmates, it also benefited local congregations.  It has exposed many congregations to the needs of prison inmates and their families.  Because inmates were often brought to the local churches for worship and other programs, participating churches witnessed the breaking down of many barriers such as race, fear, and misunderstanding that divide God’s people.

Seeing the need for education and advocacy, Disciple Bible Outreach Ministries went through a revisioning process in 2020. The ministry has now been relaunched with a new name, mission and vision. We are pleased to announce ourselves. We are Cross and Key Prison Ministries!