Pastor Victor Glover of the Southeast Region of the CGGC won first place at Exponential Conference’s “Megalodon Shark Tank” event. Representing the organization Fathers On The Move (FOTM), Pastor Victor presented about how the program takes care of men and women who come out of the prison system, and how they’re planting churches in the prisons too.
Each year Exponential’s Shark Tank awards a total of $100,000, spread across the various winners.
This is the second time that the leading church planting organization in the U.S.A has recognized Fathers on the Move, which took third place at Exponential’s Shark Tank in 2024, awarding the movement $15,000 to continue their mission.
At that show, Pastor Victor talked about his story, and how God found him as he entered the prison system for the first time. “God radically got hold of me, praise the Lord!” Pastor Victor said. “It was in [prison] that I began to walk it out, and began to find my purpose, the reason for which I exist. And it was there that God began to use me.” You can watch the full presentation here: Exponential Shark Tank 2024
This high-profile recognition is the latest in a string of meetings and events that FOTM has taken part in. As recently as February 2026, Pastor Victor Glover was speaking with the United States Congress on Capitol Hill about FOTM and with the Deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons in D.C. to speak about prison reform.
FOTM has been making continual progress toward their goal for a long time now, reducing recidivism and helping men return to their communities. But 2026 is a watershed moment for the movement which has gone from strength to strength. FOTM is starting new groups, launching in new federal prisons, training new leaders, starting new churches in prisons, and quietly building toward a women focused version tentatively called “Sisters on the Move.”
What can explain this success?
One easy explanation is that FOTM’s strategy of partnerships and relationships continues to payoff in large dividends.
FOTM values partnerships with three key players in any given prison community. First, FOTM works closely with the prison staff and leadership all the way up to the warden. Second, local political and civil leaders like mayors, judges, sheriffs, and even state governors are invited into FOTM gatherings and ceremonies. Third, FOTM brings in community leaders, like pastors and social workers who can be resources to the men inside. At every level it can, FOTM intentionally builds partnerships and relationships with local leaders.
We’ve seen it firsthand. When FOTM holds a graduation ceremony in a prison for their guys, you better believe the prison warden will be there, a local political official will be there, the county sheriff will be there, and a local pastor/community leader will be there too.
Ostensibly, these local leaders are there to speak into the men’s lives and to encourage them, and that’s true. It’s powerful for incarcerated individuals (or “residents”, as Victor calls them) to see that the prison warden, local sheriff, and community leaders support them and are eager for their success. This strategy fosters better relationships between formerly incarcerated men (or “returning citizens”) and the community leaders who may have helped initially send them to prison to begin with.
But there is another reason FOTM makes intentional partnerships with local leaders. The truth is, once local leaders see that the prison residents are being transformed, they can’t help but become invested in the program. For essentially every local leader, whether they are part of the prison system, county, city, or state government, police force or church ministry, crime and incarceration rates are top issues. Often, they are all too happy to champion and support FOTM once they see it in action.
Pastor Victor said it himself. “We’re intentional. We’re inviting mayors, sheriffs, attorneys, that these people are on [resident’s] side. The police is not your enemy. We’re changing the culture.”
So, the strategy is sound, tried and tested, but what can’t be discounted is Pastor Victor himself. His story is inspiring, and for prison residents, it’s aspirational. As one prison resident said, “Bishop Glover’s ability to laugh at the “Big Cheese” and to use his former-persona’s antics for the good of others has directly resulted in the use of my anger, instead of allowing my anger to use me.”
Pastor Victor has been out of prison for 30 years now, but he keeps coming back because he found his calling to minister to the incarcerated, and to walk with them for the rest of their lives once they are released.
To be clear, FOTM isn’t the “Bishop Victor Glover Show”. FOTM is being reproduced across states, in Pennsylvania, Florida, Oklahoma, and beyond. But FOTM’s strategy comes from Pastor Victor’s experience. He was able to identify the pain points of what it was like to be in prison and the challenge of holding it down once he left, and he’s helped create a strategy to address those issues.
Prison residents discover their issues, develop a better mindset and habits, and deploy their new skills after graduation to help mentor other men. It’s a wholistic practice that leaves no man behind. Graduates gain confidence and respect through mentorship, and others join the program because they see genuinely changed lives.
In a letter to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, one prison resident wrote in favor of FOTM, saying that, “At the risk of appearing to be completely self-centered, what better proof of a positive, rehabilitative, and life-changing outcome gained from a prison program could there be than MINE.”
FOTM describes itself as “a movement mentoring and mobilizing incarcerated men to transform their families and communities through pre- and post-release support.”
FOTM’s largest achievement is that its graduates have a 2% recidivism rate, a shockingly lower number in comparison to the national average of 30% according to the United States Sentencing Commission. That rate has won over prison wardens, sheriffs, governors, and even the Deputy Director to the Bureau of Prisons. It’s a clear sign that FOTM is an effective system. It really is changing men for the better, and returning fathers to their families where they can take root and hold it down.
The program is undergirded with a plainly Christian ethic that helps men deal with their issues. Prison/correctional residents are loved right where they are. As Pastor Victor Glover says at the end of every meeting, “in case no one’s told you in a while, I love you.” And when he asks, “who are we?” the whole room yells, “Fathers on the Move”.
And, FOTM has grown beyond just helping men once they get out of prison. FOTM won the Shark Tank award at Exponential because they’ve planted what Pastor Victor calls their “first mega church” at Butner Federal Prison with around 2,000 men being ministered to.
The value of FOTM is clear. Local officials recognize it when they see the incredible recidivism rate. Prison staff recognize it when they see their residents become a part of their team, helping keep the peace in the facilities. And the church is recognizing it too.
Do you recognize it?
April is considered Second Chance Month. It’s a national recognized time where people come together to raise awareness and funds to solve the issue of recidivism and the difficulties returning citizens face once they’ve served their time. As the Bureau of Justice Assistance states,
“Second Chance Month (April) aims to inform and highlight the many opportunities for state, local, and tribal governments and community-based service providers to build meaningful second chances for people returning from incarceration.”
This April, we’re raising awareness and support for Fathers on the Move, a truly effective program at both tackling the issues of recidivism, and building the Kingdom in and out of prisons. FOTM is both a church planting initiative and an amazing program to see men heal and transform to better themselves and their communities. As Pastor Victor says, “2nd Chance is about getting the community leaders on board with supporting these guys. They believe in it too.”
Furthermore, FOTM is working with national officials to change prisons from the top. In this blog we’ve used the terms “residents” and “returning citizens” to help give dignity back to the men who are or have served time in prison. It's the same language that the BoP is considering adopting. That’s one small way the BoP changing, but it’s bigger than that.
One recently passed law provides a federal tax cut of up to $2,500 to business owners if they hire a felon. Incentives like this combat discrimination, allowing returning citizens to compete for jobs, support their families, and contribute to society in meaningful ways.
You can support FOTM too by donating to our Jail Prison Ministries fund in the month of April. Fill out the donation form below or send a check with “MD 1325 – Jail Prison Ministries” in the memo line to 700 E. Melrose Ave, Findlay OH, 45839.
CGGC eNews—Vol. 20, No. 12
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