About Jail Chaplains
Free in Christ
We believe inmates are not the enemy, they're held hostage to sin by our real enemy Satan and they are looking for hope. We know true hope is only found in Jesus Christ. He is setting captives free and bringing them into His kingdom. It is our passion to see all live free in Christ.
Mission
Bring Christ's salvation to jail, serve and disciple in the community & connect to His church.
Vision
Living Free in Christ
Values
Spirit-Led | Joyful in the LORD | Children of God | Radically Obedient | Too Blessed to Be Stressed | Encouragers | Quick Listeners | Fearless | Thoughtful | Disciple-makers | Free in Christ
Service Area
Cass County, ND (primary)
Team
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Staff:
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Rev. Mike Sonju - Lead Chaplain
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Eric Johnson - Small Group Coordinator
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Michael Little - Executive Director
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Board of Directors:
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David Todd, Chair
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Terinne Berg, Vice Chair
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Roxie Anderson, Secretary
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Mark Hulbert, Treasurer
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Gary Opp, Director
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Meagan Gelinske, Director
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Volunteers: ~150
Kingdom Focus
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Spiritual Transformation (The Upward Mission)
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Long-term aim: Build Christ's kingdom and minimize recidivism through radical heart change.
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Focus: Deepening discipleship and the culture of prayer.
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SMART Objective: Facilitate 8,500 total group engagements in 2026.
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Community Connection (The Outward Mission)
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Long-term aim: Establish a seamless bridge from the cell to the sanctuary.
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Focus: Building the network, sharing the story, and transition plans.
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SMART Objective: Facilitate 6,000 total group engagements in 2026.
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Organizational Health (The Inward Mission)
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Long-term aim: Build a "Fearless" and "Too Blessed to be Stressed" staff culture.
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Focus: Retaining staff, volunteers, and organizational excellence.
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SMART Objective: Achieve at least a 90% staff/volunteer satisfaction survey score in 2026.
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SMART Objective: By December 31, 2026, Jail Chaplains will raise 100% of the annual budget.
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Denomination Affiliation
Jail Chaplains is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, serves as a parachurch organization, and is not under a specific church denomination. We partner with many Christian churches, primarily near Fargo, ND.
Our Lead Chaplain, Rev. Mike Sonju, receives his ecclesiastical endorsement through the General Council of the Assemblies of God.
Our Statement of Faith can be found by clicking the button below:
History of Jail Chaplains
1979
Foundations
Cass County Sheriff Don Rudnick took office and invited Pastor Curt Frankhauser to serve as a volunteer chaplain with the Sheriff’s Office.
2006
501(c)3 Formed
The 501(c)3 non-profit, Peace Officer/Jail Chaplains Association (DBA: Jail Chaplains) was formed, and Rev. Mike Sonju was hired as the first full-time employee. Chaplain Mike serves alongside of Pastor Curt. Sheriff Rudnick and Pastor Curt served together for 28 years followed by Sheriff Paul Laney who came into office in 2007.
2004
Team Formed
Rev. Mike Sonju started volunteering in the Cass County Jail with Pastor Curt Frankhauser.
2013
Full Time Exec Dir.
The first full time Executive Director for Jail Chaplains, Gerri Leach, was hired in 2013 following Pastor Fankhauser’s retirement.
2013-2017
Project Home
Under the Board leadership of former First Lady of ND Nancy Schafer the work of Jail Chaplains expanded to include faith-based accountability housing for men as they re-entered the community. This housing continued until 2017 when the opioid drug crisis hit Fargo Moorhead and the law enforcement leadership came to the faith community with a plea for help, “We can’t arrest our way out of this.”
2016
Opioid Crisis
The opioid drug crisis hit Fargo-Moorhead and at the Jail Chaplain’s hosted Eyes Wide Open Community Forum on May 5, 2016, then US Attorney Chris Myers opening statement was, “We can’t arrest our way out of this, we need your help! It is going to take all of us working together; law enforcement, health care and treatment providers, businesses, organizations and the faith community.”
On August 23, 2016, Fargo-Moorhead law enforcement leadership hosted an open forum with the faith community, 130 leaders from 47 churches gathered .
2017
Living Free
In the Sept 2017 the Jail Chaplains Board of Directors voted to step out in faith financially and bring the Living Free model to Fargo-Moorhead and commit to serving as the centralized hub to host the training and small groups around the community. In 2018, the first full time Living Free Small Group Coordinator, Eric Johnson, was hired.
March 2020 - July 2022
COVID Restrictions
During the 2 ½ yrs of COVID restriction in the jail, which eliminated group programing, Jail Chaplains pivoted to distributing Bible study sheets twice a week. The study sheets were designed to encourage the inmates to spend time reading the Life Recovery Bibles the ministry made available to any inmate requesting a personal copy (~500 per yr). Requests for personal visits with the chaplain increased by 4X when the Bible study sheets were implemented because the inmates were studying God’s Word and has questions plus the chaplain was more available to them as he walked through the housing pods distributing the study sheets.
2023
Leadership Change
In March 2023, Michael Little was hired as Executive Director and Gerri Leach retired.
2025-2026
Expansion
Over two years, Jail Chaplains has assisted the following communities in bringing together the local church and jail leadership to focus on jail ministry, receive Jail Chaplains training, and starting community small groups as a bridge from cell to sanctuary: Dallas/Forth Worth, TX; Crookston, MN; Grand Forks, ND; & Devils Lake, ND. With lessons learned from these expansions, the team is in the process of getting institutional knowledge onto paper and creating easy to consume curriculum to freely share with others who are called to step into freedom ministry.