Phil Young, left, stands with David Crutchley, dean of C-N’s School of Biblical and Theological Studies.
KNOXVILLE — Carson- Newman University will soon be offering inmates at the Morgan County Correctional Complex (MCCX) the opportunity to pursue a college degree.
“We truly believe in the power of a Christ-centered education,” said David Crutchley, dean of C-N’s School of Biblical and Theological Studies.
“Carson-Newman’s mission is innovative and directed to helping our students reach their full potential,” he said.
Slated for an August launch, the bachelor’s program allows inmates to receive a bachelor of arts in Christian studies with an emphasis in ministry studies.
The program to provide educational opportunities for prison inmates is missional, Crutchley affirmed.
“The gift of hope and redemption is in the DNA of who we are,” he said. “That is what makes this new frontier so exciting, and we look forward to celebrating a fresh start with our new cohort of Carson-Newman students.”
Carson-Newman has chosen Phil Young as director of the program. He is stepping down as director of missions for Knox County Association of Baptists to accept the new role which includes teaching responsibilities.
Young is a former Knoxville Baptist pastor (at Salem Baptist and Rocky Hill churches) and was a staff member with the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board for four years before accepting the DOM role in Knox County in 2014.
He is excited about the new opportunity.
“Throughout Scripture, we see God do miraculous things in and through the lives of people in prison,” Young said.
“In recent history, we see mighty works of God taking place in prisons,” he continued. “There are examples of life transformation all across our country. People are praying for spiritual awakening — it might just start among those who are in prison.”
Young described the ministry as “another expression of the very purpose and heartbeat of Carson-Newman University.
“It reflects the focus on Christ-centered education that leads people to embrace and reach their full potential in Christ. Dr. Crutchley has a heart to see lives transformed, and solid theological education for those in prison is an opportunity for this to take place beyond “traditional” pathways,” he noted.
Young added that the “ministry of hope, redemption and restoration has driven my entire life in ministry. Early in my ministry journey, God placed Isaiah 61:1-4 on my heart in a formative way. Verse 4 speaks of rebuilding, restoring and renewing lives that have been devastated for generations. God has brought that to life again for me in this recent calling on my life and ministry.”
He recalled that his first exposure to the impact of prison ministry came while serving as a pastor and then overseeing the restorative justice ministry while serving as church Missions and ministry specialist with the TBMB.
“People like Fred Owenby, Danny Goins, Jeff Hunter and especially Gene and Pat Williams were investing their lives in ministry to people who were incarcerated. Watching them live out the calling of Matthew 25:36, “I was in prison and you came to visit me” inspired and challenged me,” Young said.
The hardest part of accepting his new position was leaving his old position, Young acknowledged.
“Saying ‘yes’ to this calling was only difficult because I found so much fulfillment in my ministry as a DOM,” he said.
“As I look back, I can see how God was preparing me to say ‘yes’ four years ago. I heard a missionary say that he and his wife told God they would ‘Go anywhere, to anyone, at any time.’
“It was as if God spoke to my heart that day and said ‘You have stopped praying that prayer.’ I began to pray that my life would always be open to respond in loving obedience to ‘go anywhere, to anyone, at any time.’ Little did I know that this call would come four years later.”
Young acknowledged that his role as director of the prison program is “a new journey for me in ministry — a journey way beyond my comfort zone.”
He recalled a class that he was teaching at Carson-Newman where he had invited Samm Hawes from Baptist Collegiate Ministry at the University of Tennessee to speak.
She challenged them with these words: “There is no comfort in your growth zone, but there is no growth in your comfort zone.”
“God is using this season of my spiritual journey to bring about new growth in my life and calling as a follower of Jesus,” said Young, who also will serve as a part-time church revitalization specialist with the TBMB.
The new offering is not the first connection between Carson-Newman and inmates of Morgan County. Visitors touring the now defunct Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary read how in 1965 Lake Russell, described as a reform-minded warden and a former Carson-Newman football coach and 1925 alum, headed-up Brushy’s Inmate Education Program. Illiterate inmates were chosen by Russell to be taught within the program.
“Education plays a pivotal role in offender rehabilitation and this program is going to open doors and create opportunities for those who take advantage of it,” said Julia Gregg, principal at MCCX.
“This partnership is one that is going to change lives for the better and help us (TDOC) achieve our overall mission,” she said. B&R — This article includes reporting by Charles Key of Carson-Newman University.
