02/25/2025
Joe's ministry, ARM, hand made the baptismal that was given to Martinwood Christian Church, and now resides at Faith Ministries in Council Bluffs, IA. Incredible man. Incredible ministry. Thank you! We know you're now enjoying being in the presence of God.
Joe Garman, Visionary Founder of ARM Prison Outreach and Titan of Prison Ministry, Passes Away at 80.
With profound sorrow, ARM Prison Outreach announces the passing of its founder, Joe Garman, a towering figure in the realm of prison ministry whose unwavering devotion to the incarcerated transformed countless lives across the globe. Brother Garman died on Monday, February 24, 2025, at 7:40 p.m.
A pioneer in his field, Joe Garman began his extraordinary journey in the late 1960s as a missionary in Korea, where he first glimpsed the redemptive power of faith behind bars. It was a calling that would define his life. Returning to the United States, he founded American Rehabilitation Ministries (ARM) in 1973, later renamed ARM Prison Outreach, with a singular mission: to bring the hope of Jesus, Scripture, and Christian education to those society had confined. What began as a modest endeavor blossomed under his stewardship into a ministry of staggering reach, touching the lives of millions through the distribution of Bibles, Christian greeting cards, and correspondence courses rooted in Jesus.
Brother Garman’s vision knew no borders. Over five decades, ARM grew to serve more than 3,172 state and federal prisons and jails across the United States while extending its embrace internationally to Cambodia, Mexico, and the Philippines. Remarkable milestones marked his work: since 1973, over 1.6 million prisoners received Bibles through ARM’s efforts; since 1975, more than 800,000 incarcerated individuals enrolled as students in the ministry’s Bible correspondence courses; and, in a partnership with DaySpring Greeting Cards beginning in 1990, some 130 million Christian greeting cards were delivered to prisoners, offering them a lifeline to loved ones beyond the cellblock walls. Brother Joe was fervently dedicated to providing baptistries in correctional facilities, a mission that saw 1,977 baptistries placed in prisons across the United States. Above all, Brother Garman’s tireless preaching, teaching, and writing brought millions to faith, planting the seeds of God’s Word in hearts too often deemed beyond redemption.
For 50 years, Joe Garman labored as an evangelist and disciple-maker, a gentle yet resolute force who saw in every prisoner the potential for grace. His legacy is not merely in the numbers—staggering though they are—but in the quiet, enduring transformation he wrought, one soul at a time.
ARM Prison Outreach asks that you pray for the Garman family during this loss. The Garman family extends its deepest gratitude to all who have offered their support, a testament to the community Joe Garman built through a life devoted to Christian service worldwide.
