Dale and Shirley McNeall started in prison and jail ministry in 1992, with the Christian Motorcyclists Association, taking motorcycles into prisons with the Bill Glass Prison Ministry from Texas. After this experience, God placed a call on their lives to go into prisons and jails to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and His love for the inmates.

They have ministered to inmates at weekend events with the Bill Glass Prison Ministry, Prison Fellowship, Christian Motorcyclists Association and Salvation Army. They have had a team of people who ministered with them at Municipal Correctional Institution (Kansas City MCI Jail) for 19 years, as well as the Integrity Correctional Centers until it closed in 2010.  Jackson County took over Kansas City jail and moved the inmates to a jail downtown. They changed the name of jail to Regional Correctional Center. The team now ministers there.

While ministering at Kansas City MCI, Dale and Shirley became aware that about 85% of the inmates were repeat offenders. The Lord gave Shirley the vision to have a home for women when released from jail.  Some of these women are homeless and others return to situations that are abusive, compelling them to go back to their old ways.  As a result in 2004, Dale and Shirley formed The Shepherd's Way Ministries, Inc., a nonprofit corporation, to help these women and to continue ministry to both the men and women in jail and prison.