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Prison Ministry Helps to
Rehabilitate, Give Hope

Lincoln Department of Corrections assistant superintendent Chuck Thrift (left) talks with prison chaplain Scott Mann. The prison ministry at the Lincoln DOC is in its 10th year.

LINCOLNTON – The more than 200 inmates calling the Lincolnton State Department of Corrections facility home can take advantage of a prison ministry headed by a Lincolnton pastor.

Scott Mann, pastor of New Vision Ministries on Clarks Creek Road, has been the prison chaplain for the past five months.

According to correctional case manager and volunteer coordinator Tim Scronce, Pastor Mann was the first choice when the chaplain’s position came open.

Pastor Scott Mann of Lincolnton said reaching the inmates now -- rather than after release -- is important to help them adjust to life.

“I couldn’t think of anyone better than Scott to be chaplain,” said Scronce. “With most inmates within five years of release, it’s time to start working on their transitions.”

Scronce and Mann admit that prison itself – incarceration – does not rehabilitate inmates to get them prepared for the outside world.

However, giving inmates the option of worshiping their chosen religion is something that might give the inmates a fighting chance in the outside world.

“I’d rather get them (to experience Christ) in here than get them (on the outside),” said Mann.

The DOC prison ministry began 10 years ago according to Scronce. He estimates thousands of inmates have been served by the ministry, calling the number of inmates “astronomical.”

“Every inmate here has been touched through the prison ministry,” said Scronce. “Participating in the ministry could plant a seed of help.”

Part of Scronce’s job is to talk with and counsel the inmates. Scronce said sometimes he talks to the inmates about going to church.

“My primary job is that of a social worker,” said Scronce. “Sometimes, inmates come to (Scott and me) because they feel they can trust us more than a man in uniform. After talking to me, a lot of inmates then talk to Scott.”



PASTOR MANN’S JOURNEY

New Vision Ministries pastor Scott Mann has been serving as chaplain at the Lincoln Department of Corrections for the past several months.

Pastor Scott Mann has been the pastor of New Vision Ministries on Clarks Creek Road in Lincolnton for more than three years.

What many people don’t know about Mann is at the age of 13, his mother and father split up.

“They never fussed and people don’t believe that,” said Mann. “About that time, I started doing stupid stuff.”

Mann experimented with drugs and got into trouble, all before dropping out of school at age 16.

One day, a chance meeting with some church members in Bessemer City changed the course of Mann’s life.

“They wanted me to play softball but they said I had to go to church,” said Mann. “I went to church two times per month.”

At the age of 18, Mann recommitted his life to Christ by asking a friend to go to the church alter with him. The date was Sept. 22, 1983.

Mann went back to school and got his GED. He started working in prison and jail ministries at the age of 20.

He has been working with the Lincolnton DOC for nearly five years, having also worked in the Gaston County Jail. There are more than 25 churches and 180 volunteers that are involved at different times with the ministry.

“We need churches in Lincolnton to help support the prison ministry,” said Mann. “We do more than services, we provide cookouts and other activities to show the inmates we love and care for them.”

Besides counseling the inmates, Mann could be seen on the basketball court shooting hoops or playing ping-pong, interacting with the inmates as he goes along.

“I’ve let them know where I have come from,” said Mann. “I’m real and I face challenges every day.”

Those challenges include being told he could never pastor a church because he was too straight forward. Mann pastors a congregation of about 300 people.

“If you really want to go back, I was told I’d end up in prison,” laughed Mann.



CLOSE TO HOME

Mann's ministry at the Lincoln DOC is not limited to counseling or the chapel; he likes to minister to the inmates "where they are."

Pastor Mann and Tim Scronce agree that getting to the prisoner’s now, when their incarceration time is coming to an end, is vitally important.

According to both men, in fact, the inmates that are there are closer to their families.

“It’s important we reach (the inmates) because incarceration doesn’t change them,” said Mann. “We give the inmates spiritual tools and information to give the inmates a good start.”

Part of the rehabilitation may involve taking some inmates to church in the future. Scronce and Mann are working on the day when inmates can attend New Vision Ministries.

Besides the churches and volunteers that are participating, the program is always looking for volunteer help.

According to Scronce, the volunteers will be needed in the future for the next step in the life of the ministry.

“A volunteer would have to have been a volunteer for a year and have volunteered 25 hours in a 30-day period to be able to sign inmates out to go to church,” said Scronce.

The only offenders that will not be allowed to be signed out to go to church are sexual offenders. Scronce said it’s because the offenders cannot be around children.

Mann believes the prison ministry is one of three local ministries everyone should get behind. The other two ministries are the Crisis Pregnancy Center and Christian Ministry.

“These are three ministries that people should support,” said Mann.

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