Crossroads Prison Ministries

What Crossroads Prison Ministries does

Crossroads Prison Ministries is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1984 and headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan, that delivers a mail-based correspondence Bible study and mentorship program to incarcerated individuals. The organization operates a three-tier curriculum — Core Program (foundational), Growth Program (one-on-one mentorship), and Advanced Program (seminary-level hermeneutics and systematic theology) — totaling over 50 lessons, delivered through the U.S. Postal Service and international partner networks. Its beneficiary base spans approximately 30,000 students annually in the U.S. across more than 1,600 correctional facilities, plus roughly 10,000 students internationally across 20+ countries. The organization depends on a volunteer mentor workforce recruited through church partnerships, with mentors committing 1–2 hours per week to review completed lessons and write personal feedback letters.

The business model is donation-funded, with the program offered free of charge to incarcerated students (who often earn $0.14–$1.41/hour and face significant financial barriers). Revenue is sourced from individual donations (suggested tiers of $50, $115, $230, $500, $1,150), planned giving and legacy gifts (stock, real estate, IRA distributions), and corporate/foundation grants. The implied per-student annual cost of approximately $115 provides a clear unit economics framework for donor solicitation. Distribution is hybrid: direct mail correspondence domestically, plus a channel/reseller model internationally through national representatives who deploy the curriculum locally. The organization maintains ECFA accreditation, Charity Navigator rating, and Candid Platinum Transparency 2025. Leadership includes President/CEO Joe Pryor (former Federal Bureau of Prisons chief chaplain with 35 years of corrections experience) and a small staff of 11–50 employees supported by volunteer labor.

Name

Crossroads Prison Ministries

Legal name

Cross Road Correctional Ministries dba Crossroads Prison Ministries

Website

https://cpministries.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Crossroads Prison Ministries is a Grand Rapids, Michigan-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1984 that delivers a mail-based correspondence Bible study and mentorship program to approximately 30,000 incarcerated students annually in the U.S. and 10,000 internationally across 1,600+ correctional facilities and 20+ countries, funded by individual donations, planned giving, and foundation grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Faith-Based Prison Ministry

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Educational Support Services (611710), Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Correctional Education Programs (Community College-Delivered) (EDAHADAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Juvenile Justice Education Programs (Detention & Correctional Education) (EDAJAEAB), Christian Colleges with Theological Programs (EDAHAKAG)

Keywords

• Prison ministry services
• Correctional faith programs
• Incarcerated mentoring programs
• Biblical correspondence education
• Religious nonprofit services

Headquarters

HQ city

Grand Rapids

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Individual donors contribute one-time or monthly gifts to support the ministry. Common donation amounts include $50, $115, $230, $500, and $1,150. The program costs approximately $115 to provide a year's worth of lessons for one student.
2. Planned Giving and Legacy Gifts: Accepts planned gifts including stock donations, real estate, IRA distributions for those 70½ and older, gifts through wills, and lifetime income gifts that provide steady income while benefiting the ministry
3. Corporate/Foundation Grants: Receives support from foundations and corporate giving programs to fund lesson printing, postage, mentor support, and international expansion

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Crossroads Prison Ministries delivers a free, mail-based correspondence Bible study and mentorship program to incarcerated individuals across more than 1,600 correctional facilities in the U.S. and 20+ countries. The program is structured into three sequential tiers—Core, Growth, and Advanced—providing over 50 lessons from introductory Christianity to seminary-level theological study, with volunteer mentor feedback delivered through handwritten letters. The ministry also supplies New International Version Bibles, certificates, progress letters for parole boards, and reentry support.

Product overview

Crossroads Prison Ministries operates a tiered correspondence-based Bible study mentorship program for incarcerated individuals. The core offering is the Mentorship Program, which includes three sequential program levels: the Core Program (one-to-many mentoring for foundational biblical education), the Growth Program (one-on-one mentoring for applying faith), and the Advanced Program (seminary-level hermeneutics and systematic theology). Supporting products include Bible study lessons (50+ courses across all programs), student materials (Bibles, certificates, progress letters), mentor training resources, and the INSIDE Newsletter. The organization also partners with Our Daily Bread Ministries for devotional content. The program is free for incarcerated students and is delivered through postal mail with volunteer mentor correspondence.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mentorship Program
• Core Program
• Growth Program
• Advanced Program
• Student Materials Package
• Our Daily Bread Devotionals

Quantifiable outcome

• Crossroads serves nearly 30,000 students in the U.S. and 10,000 globally each year
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• International Country Representatives (20+ countries)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCrossroads partners with national representatives in over 20 countries to deploy the program locally. Partners include: Africa (Benin, Kenya, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Uganda); Asia (India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka); South America (Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru); North America (Canada); Europe (United Kingdom); Oceania (Australia, New Zealand); Central America (Guatemala). Students are matched with mentors from their own country for cultural relevance.
• Our Daily Bread Ministries (ODB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCrossroads partners with Our Daily Bread Ministries to provide daily devotional publications to incarcerated students. ODB provides quarterly devotional publications that supplement Crossroads Bible study curriculum, offering additional spiritual nourishment to students.
• Prison Art ProjectminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCrossroads partners with the Prison Art Project to share students' creative expressions of faith through artwork. This partnership helps raise awareness about prison ministry and provides students with opportunities to express their spirituality through art.
• Corrections Leaders and Prison AdministratorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCrossroads maintains trusted relationships with correctional leaders and prison administrators across the U.S. and internationally. These partnerships allow Crossroads mail to enter facilities and expand access to students who might otherwise be unreachable.
• YWAM (Youth With A Mission)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSteve Drewry, Crossroads Content Quality & Translations Manager, previously served as an interpreter with YWAM before joining the ministry. YWAM is a Christian missionary organization focused on youth and global missions.
• Soroti Women's Prison (Uganda)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCrossroads partners with Soroti Women's Prison in Uganda, where Elizabeth coordinates Crossroads mentors at her church. Over 120 women are served at this facility, with Elizabeth overseeing mentoring, training volunteers, and coordinating the program.
• Comayagua Prison (Honduras)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPastor José leads Crossroads implementation at Comayagua prison in Honduras, with a network of three churches and over 20 mentors serving the facility. This represents a key international partnership for expanding prison ministry in Central America.
• Churches in KenyacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGeorge's church near Naivasha, Kenya adopted the Crossroads program with five volunteer mentors. The partnership has transformed the church's engagement with prison ministry, with mentors leading services and helping the congregation understand reaching those behind bars.
• Churches in UgandacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerElizabeth's church in Soroti, Uganda coordinates Crossroads mentors for Soroti Women's Prison. The church gathers funds for student needs and responds to needs without hesitation, demonstrating deep commitment to the partnership.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CrossroadsPrisonMin
• Xx.com/cpministries_us
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/crossroads-prison-ministries

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Crossroads Prison Ministries