October 2, 2026
VERSAILLES, Ky. (KT) – "It's like I get to go on a mission trip every Friday."
That's how Joe Crabtree describes the Bible study he leads at the Woodford County Detention Center.
Fridays at 10 a.m. Crabtree and several members and pastoral staff from Versailles Baptist Church gather with a group of inmates to study the Word of God together.
"There's no 'us' and 'them'; it's a men's Bible study," Crabtree said.
In two and a half years, 214 men at the jail have wrestled with scripture.
"I assume every Friday that there are going to be people in there who know nothing about the gospel and are just curious, and so I try to make sure every Friday we present the gospel," said Crabtree, who has also taught Sunday school for three decades. "I try and stress that, you know, Christianity is evidence-based. The Bible is evidence of the life, the death, the resurrection of Jesus Christ."
Crabtree has taught men about the context and message of the whole Bible, how to be saved, the miracles and parables of Jesus, and more.
"My goal is to lay down a biblical theology for these guys so they understand the gospel, so that they can make an intelligent decision on responding to it," he said.
Jail ministry is an opportunity to minister to those who may be forgotten or overlooked, according to Crabtree.
"If you think about it, who did Jesus pay the most attention to? The people who he sought out and the people who sought him out were the forgotten, you know, the ones who were rejected by society, who were thought to be of no value. The Pharisees gave Jesus a hard time because of the people that he hung out with," he said. "They were the people that…[the Pharisees] did not think were worthy of that."
Jonathan Berry, associate pastor and minister to adults at Versailles Baptist, said jail ministry is important because it ministers to the least of these, referencing Matthew 25.
"'For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger and you took me in; I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you took care of me; I was in prison and you visited me'…'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'" (Matthew 25:35-36, 40b)
"[Jailed populations] can so often be a neglected part of society because of, you know, being looked down upon because of having done somebody else wrong and then facing the consequences of that. But that doesn't mean they should be cast aside. I mean, Jesus doesn't cast them aside, so what are we going to do as the church to love them well?"
Showing up week after week—even alongside sister churches in the area who share the gospel through Bible studies on different days—and investing in the lives of the men housed at the jail has borne fruit. Sixteen men were baptized following a personal decision to follow Jesus the week leading up to Easter.
Crabtree described participating in the baptisms, and bearing witness to the public professions of faith in the same courtyard where many have attended weekly Bible studies, as "beautiful."
"It's something where you feel unworthy to be there," he said. "When something like that is going on it's just like, take off your shoes…because you're standing on holy ground."
Crabtree assisted Kevin Hash, minister to students at Versailles Baptist, in baptizing some men. Emilio Zapata, minister to Hispanics at Versailles Baptist, and Andric Fajardo, who leads a Tuesday Bible study for Spanish-speaking inmates, also baptized several. Bible study leaders from another church were also present.
"It was a beautiful, beautiful time," Berry said.
After someone gave a challenge, encouragement, and prayer for the newly baptized believers, the courtyard resonated with several dozen men singing "Amazing Grace."
Crabtree said he didn't have to see the fruit of studying the Bible week in and week out with so many men, but "it's the most incredible feeling in the world."
"Knowing that I've spent time with these men, invested in them and been able to share the gospel with them—that in itself would be enough," he added. "These men that I've grown attached to over months of studying the Bible together, and to see them get baptized…and celebrate with them…it's a wonderful experience."
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This story appeared in Kentucky Today.
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