Freedom in Jesus Prison Ministries

What Freedom in Jesus Prison Ministries does

Freedom in Jesus Prison Ministries (FIJM) is a 501-C3 nonprofit religious organization founded in 1985 and headquartered at PO Box 939, Levelland, Texas. Its core function is delivering Christian ministry services to incarcerated individuals and former offenders across the Texas state prison system. The organization conducts weekend crusades, revivals, weekly church services, and bible studies inside prison units (including Formby, Daniel, Roach, Clements, Smith, Wallace, Wheeler, Mechler, Dalhart, Jordan, Fort Stockton, Hughes, Lynaugh, and Montford Trusty Camp), and extends reach post-release through mentorship and the Discipleship Correspondence Program. Programmatic offerings include evangelism and baptism, in-prison discipleship, a correspondence-based mentoring curriculum, and a re-entry partnership with Kingdom Towers for residential transition support.

The organization is led by Founder/Chairman Don Castleberry (saved in the Lubbock County jail over 40 years ago) and President/Board Chairman Stephen Canup, both of whom serve as the public face of the ministry through personal testimony. Auxiliary revenue-generating or community-engagement channels include an online bookstore at store.fijm.org, a video library hosted on the Searchie platform, and a monthly email newsletter. Marketing and donor outreach are conducted through the fijm.org website, the events calendar, transformation stories, and direct appeals.

FIJM is funded entirely by tax-deductible donations from individuals, churches, and private foundations, with a $10 minimum contribution and both one-time and recurring monthly options. No revenue, headcount, audited financials, or IRS Form 990 are disclosed. The organization has no parent company, no institutional investors, and operates exclusively within Texas, with no stated plans for geographic expansion beyond the state prison system it currently serves.

Name

Freedom in Jesus Prison Ministries

Legal name

Freedom in Jesus Prison Ministries

Website

https://fijm.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Freedom in Jesus Prison Ministries is a 501-C3 nonprofit founded in 1985 that delivers Christian evangelism, discipleship, and re-entry support services to incarcerated individuals and former offenders across multiple Texas state prison units, funded entirely by donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Prison Ministry Services

NAICS

Parole Offices and Probation Offices (922150)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Reentry, Rehabilitation & Reintegration Programs (Education, Vocational, Case Management) (BPAKANAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Adult Corrections (Prisons & Jails) (BPAIAFAD), Community Corrections (Probation, Parole & Reentry) (BPAIAFAE)

Keywords

• Prison ministry services
• Christian discipleship programs
• Reentry support services
• Faith-based mentoring
• Correctional spiritual counseling

Headquarters

HQ city

Levelland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: As a 501-C3 nonprofit organization, FIJM relies on tax-deductible charitable donations from individuals, churches, and private foundations to fund ministry operations, prison services, and re-entry support programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

FIJM delivers Christian evangelism, baptism, teaching, and discipleship services directly to inmates at Texas state prison units through weekend crusades, revivals, weekly services, and bible studies. It supports former offenders post-release via mentorship, the Discipleship Correspondence Program, and a partnership with Kingdom Towers for residential transition, addressing the 67% recidivism rate.

Product overview

Freedom in Jesus Prison Ministries operates as a single, unified ministry program focused on sharing the Gospel and discipling prisoners and former offenders. The core offering consists of prison ministry services including evangelizing, baptizing, teaching, and mentoring through weekend crusades, weekly services, and bible studies. The ministry extends its reach through the Discipleship Correspondence Program for remote spiritual guidance, the Kingdom Towers Residential Transition Program for post-release support, and supplementary resources including books, a video library, and a monthly newsletter. All programs are designed to fulfill the organization's mission of 'visiting the prisoners' as commanded in Matthew 25:34-40, with services operating across multiple Texas prison units.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Prison Ministry Services Core ministry program delivered directly to inmates at Texas state prison units, including evangelism and baptism through weekend crusades and revivals, teaching and discipleship through weekly services and bible studies, and in-person mentoring during incarceration.
• Kingdom Towers Residential Transition Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 67% recidivism rate addressed through support programs

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ChurchescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFIJM has partnered with churches since 1985 to help fulfill the command of Jesus to 'visit the prisoners' and help the 'least of these' (Matthew 25:34-40). Churches provide volunteers, support, and community connections for prison ministry activities.
• Kingdom TowerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKingdom Towers is a residential transition program that partners with FIJM to help former offenders transition back into society. FIJM refers released inmates to Kingdom Towers for structured re-entry support, addressing the challenge of preventing recidivism.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• The Way of Tarrant County / The Way Ministry: Texas-based reentry ministry providing post-release transitional housing, mentoring, and Christian discipleship. Comparable reentry mission and Texas footprint, though with stronger emphasis on residential transition than in-prison evangelism.
• Exodus Ministries: Texas-based prison ministry providing in-prison mentoring and post-release transitional housing, employment, and reentry support. Comparable Texas geography, faith-based approach, and integrated reentry continuum.
• Crossroads Prison Ministries: Correspondence-based prison ministry that pairs inmates with Christian mentors for one-on-one Bible study. Closely comparable to FIJM's Discipleship Correspondence Program and similar evangelical discipleship methodology.
• Prison Fellowship: The largest U.S. Christian prison ministry, founded by Chuck Colson, providing in-prison programs, mentorship, post-release support, and policy advocacy. Directly comparable in mission, faith-based approach, and reentry focus, but operates nationally and at substantially greater scale.
• Kairos Prison Ministry International: Operates structured weekend retreats inside prisons and a sustained aftercare program for returning citizens. Highly comparable faith-based model with state chapters and a reentry component analogous to FIJM's Kingdom Towers partnership.
• InnerChange Freedom Initiative: Faith-based residential program operating inside prisons that combines in-custody discipleship with reentry planning. Directly comparable to FIJM's combined in-prison + reentry approach and Kingdom Towers residential model.

Broad incumbents

• Billy Graham Evangelistic Association: Large evangelism organization that conducts occasional prison crusades and chaplaincy support. Overlaps in faith-based prison outreach but is a much broader general-evangelism entity rather than a dedicated prison/reentry operator.

Emerging players

• Dream Center: Faith-based nonprofit operating residential reentry, recovery, and transitional housing programs including for those exiting incarceration. Comparable residential reentry + spiritual-discipleship model with overlapping donor base.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Freedom-in-Jesus-Prison-Ministries-100091845729087
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/freedom-in-jesus-ministries

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Freedom in Jesus Prison Ministries