Our application information video above provides a wonderful shareable tool to help tell your friends and family about the work of the Heart of Texas Foundation College of Ministry.
A new opportunity to apply opens every February for men and women who are serving extremely long prison sentences in the Texas state prison system.
What is a Field Minister?
A Field Minister is a man or woman who has earned the Bachelor of Arts in Applied Ministry from the Heart of Texas Foundation College of Ministry. Our graduate is allowed to serve his or her peers in the official job role of Field Minister for the remainder of his or her sentence, approved by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
What drives us in this calling? It is to take the gospel of Jesus Christ into the darkest of places. For us, those places are where men and women in solitary confinement live out their days, and often years, alone unless their heart changes. They are not alone any more. The Texas Department of Criminial Justice allows a new kind of man and a new kind of woman to show up at the cell door to visit—a godly peer carrying the good news of Jesus Christ called a Field Minister now takes faith, hope, and love from cell to cell.
CEO, Grove Norwood receives Lifetime Service Award from Texas Governor Greg Abbott
On behalf of Governor Greg Abbott, Judge Faith Johnson, member of the Texas Board of Criminal Justice, introduces and announces the Lifetime Service Award for Heart of Texas Foundation College of Ministry CEO, Grove Norwood. The First Lady of Texas, Cecilia Abbott, was in attendance with her support. The award ceremony took place on Friday, April 17th in Georgetown, Texas as part of the April 2026 meeting of the Texas Board of Criminal Justice.
Historic Christ-centered Education and Service for Women
The Heart of Texas Foundation College of Ministry for women is located at the Hobby Unit for Women, in Marlin (30 minutes south of Waco). The historic first class of women, the 20 women of the class of 2025, graduated on December 10, 2025 at the Hobby Unit.
Field Ministers teach men and women how to read
Studies show that the illiteracy rate in prisons is as high as 70%. The Field Ministers skillfully teach men and women to read. Learning to read requires a great deal of vulnerability and trust on the part of the student. The Field Ministers, as men and women of God, patiently and kindly teach their peers how to read throuh the Field Ministers Reading Acceleration Center. Throughout the instruction time, the Field Ministers have the opportunity to pray with their student, listen to them, extend godly counsel, and display the heart of Christ as they share the good news of Christ.
Texas Field Ministers
Since 2011, the Heart of Texas Foundation College of Ministry has spearheaded the vision for Field Ministers in Texas. It is a privilege, as the college, to provide the education of men and women with long prison sentences toward the Bachelor of Arts in Applied Ministry.