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Residential Program 
Our center is a residential program with a minimum of 12 months commitment required of the student. During their stay here, they will experience (some for the first time in their lives) a strict schedule, personal structure, accountability to authority, individual mentoring relationships, and one-on-one counseling. They will also participate in Biblically-based Life Skills Training classes along with supervised work details which enable them to learn new patterns of thinking and behavior in personal relationships. Through the journey, they will come to learn to truly depend upon God, developing a personal relationship with Him, which is the only thing which can truly change one's heart. 

Classroom Studies 
The bulk of the student's time is spent studying the Word of God. Through 14 consecutive classes, ranging from How to Study the Bible to Growing Through Failure, the student learns the practicality of God's wisdom in everyday life. By applying the truths of scripture, old attitudes, habits, and patterns are broken to be replaced by renewed thinking. The second six months of the program concentrates on inner healing, bringing the wounds and issues of the past to the One who heals completely. In addition to these studies which are taught by an instructor in the setting of a lecture, the student engages in multiple individual studies which are tailored to each one's particular needs. Over the course of their stay here, the main focus is the life-transforming power of God's word, and how to prove its reality within one's life. 

Work Assignments 
An important part of our restoring people to successful community life is to seek work opportunities that provide hands-on job training to students within the program. Research done by Northwestern University in 1999 found that 90% of Teen Challenge graduates were employed two to three years later compared to 41% of individuals completing secular programs. During these crews, the students receive instruction, counsel, and mentoring from the staff member who supervises the crew. The crews become a team, learning cooperation and unity to accomplish a common goal. The crew is evaluated by each employer on a weekly basis for quality of work, attitude, and overall performance. Based on their performance evaluations, each group is eligible to receive a monthly evening out as a reward for their diligence. Through discipleship and training in these areas, the student develops a positive, productive work ethic which will serve them well upon re-entry into society. 

Rallies and Outreach 
Our numerous rallies and outreaches teach the students to give back to the ministry and to the community at large. During our rallies, they will visit dozens of area churches, sharing the gospel through choir songs, human video dramas, and of course individual testimonies of God's grace and mercy. Our street outreaches extend God's loving hand into the neediest places in our area. Several times a year, we travel out in our trailer with built-in P.A. system to minister in song, drama and testimony to at-risk and urban neighborhoods, shining a light in the darkness. In addition, quarterly, we have 8 hour tent outreaches under our 500 person tent, where we invite local children and their families to participate in 3-on-3 basketball tournaments, complimentary haircuts, face painting, bicycle repair and food given in the context of a message of God's love and redemption. The local Sheriff's Department and Fire Department, as well as other agencies, are on hand to perform free fingerprinting and present safety information. Students also have opportunity to visit the Juvenile Detention Center and area schools to share the life-changing message of Jesus Christ. 

To get information or to request a visit to you school, church, youth group, or organization contact the center at 239-275-1974