Teen Challange ?

Hiya guys I'm just here to ask about this programme called Teen Challange and does anybody have any experience with this organisation ? My church has been so kind to offer to finance a place for me on this programme but I'm starting to have my doubts as I have been doing a bit due dillegence as they would want for me to give up my flat which I've been Homeless for so long and I am in a scatter flat now and about to be offered a permanent tenancy, just It strikes me as a bit dodgy because say I don't agree with the way these guys do things I'm gonna be kinda stranded and they take your phone of you for a long time etc you earn it back etc just there has been a lot of red flags for me so far and even my mum who was over the moon to hear about me getting a place in a rehab well she doesn't want me going now. So I am considering backing out of this because also teen challange doesn't have a great history particularly the way they have treated our younger brothers and sisters in there Anerican residential a my spider senses or going a bit mental on this one, to be honest I don't even think it is a true rehab but seems to me to just be masquerading as one which would have been fine if they were honest about it but it looks to me they are trying to trap people here through trickery. Any advice fold would be greatly appreciated.

You're not ready yet. When you get ready you will say... "here take my phone, I don't care if I ever get it back if it means I can be free from my addictions, and find forgiveness for my heinous sins. I want to change. I want God to help me. I want to be forgiven of my sins and know that I have eternal life and I want to be free from my addictions forever. I don't care if it means living at Teen Challenge for a year. What is a year to be free compared to the years I have lived in the misery of my addictions."

When you get to that place, give Teen Challenge a call.

I am a New York Adult and Teen Challenge graduate. It was the best decision I ever made. I am now over three years sober from a miserable 8 year alcoholic stupor. I tried to quit on my own several times with short term programs but always went right back to the addiction. I knew that Adult and Teen Challenge was where I should go but kept putting it off because it was a year long residential program and I did not think I needed that long. I finally reached the point where a year long residential program sounded good to me.

It is not a rehab you are correct about that. It is more like a Bible School/ Missions training / Ministry training / Church of a Band of Brothers who are serving in the Army of God together. It is an adventure. There are many things you will experience that you would never get the chance to do otherwise. You might help Hill Song United setup and take down for a concert. You might meet famous people and work their events. It is not like any rehab nor do they use State clinical methods to get you free. Those don't work that is why those state and secular rehabs have a 2% success rate. Teen Challenge has had an average of 80% success rate since 1958.

Success meaning those who graduate are still clean 10 years later.

If studying the bible everyday and being filled with the Holy Spirit and being completely sold out to Jesus Christ is not what you want to do, then Adult and Teen Challenge is not the place for you. However you don't have to clean yourself up to go there. You might feel far away from God right now, and Teen Challenge is the best place where you can go and learn about him and not have to think about anything else but just finding out what it means to live for the Lord.

Hello and welcome to CC, HappyHaggis...
My local church has hosted several groups from a TC ministry a couple of hours away, bearing testimony to the life the individuals lived before, and the positive changes the program brought about in their lives. I have not heard of any abuse or sneaky behaviour on the part of the ministry itself.

As others have said more directly, TC is a very serious get-your-life-straight kind of ministry. They are often dealing with addicts whose only other options are prison, homelessness, or death. You've been homeless, so I have no need to tell you about the hell that can be.

You didn't mention having issues with addiction, so TC may not be what you need. If you do struggle with addiction, and just haven't said so, I would encourage you to consider whether you have the strength, conviction, and willpower to beat the addiction thoroughly on your own. Very few people do.

Either way, may the Lord give you the guidance and provision that is right for your situation.

The beginning of 'Teen Challenge' can be traced to..
- Pioneering ministry by David Wilkerson..in 1958.
---
'The Cross and the Switchblade'
- Interesting book.. about his pioneering/street ministry in New York.
One of books that had impact/influence..
- During early years of my spiritual journey.
- In 1970's.

I picked up a copy of this book yesterday funnily enough. Im gonna read it after I'm finished what I'm reading just now.

It is a good book to introduce you to the Teen Challenge Ministry. After reading that book you will understand what makes them different than even other Faith Based drug and alcohol programs.
The spirit of adventure that is serving God that you sense when you read that book is still the core spirit of the Adult and Teen Challenge ministries.

My only advice would be that you ask the intake person you talk to on the phone if that particular Teen Challenge Center believes in the Baptism of the Holy Spirit as written about in the Cross and the Switchblade book and if they say that they don't teach that there, or if they say that the leadership is "reformed" or anything like that don't go to that center, call the next one closer and ask them.

The new name is Adult and Teen Challenge to avoid confusion that it is just for teens. Teens normally go to a boys ranch center, most of the ATC centers are 18 and up with few younger than 21.

Most ATC centers are in line with the Assemblies of God statement of faith doctrinally. However there are many now that are under leadership that is more "reformed" or similar to Calvinist doctrine. They do everything the same as the other centers but they don't have the same success rate and the level of spiritual intensity among the students (residence are called students at ATC) is not the same.

There are three chapters in the Cross and the Switchblade dedicated to this subject of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and the dynamic part it played in the success rate of the early Teen Challenge centers. It was also during this time that a Catholic priest introduced the book to some other priests in a Catholic university and thus began the Charismatic movement within the Catholic church, you can read about it in wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_charismatic_renewal

My main point is that you don't want to go to an ATC center that has abandoned the importance of this teaching on the Baptism of the Holy Spirit as it relates to the success rate of the graduates. It was surveyed in the 60s and many times since that this is the reason that the ATC centers have the highest long term success rate. Those students that do not experience this or do not believe in this doctrine have a much greater relapse rate. That is what every survey done in the past 60 years has shown. People can argue about it all they want, but the surveys don't lie, those centers that promote this doctrine have a higher longterm success rate among the graduates than those that do not.

Right now there is a trend going across the country for some Teen Challenge centers to get money from the State by opening up 30 day detox and 90 day short term clinical rehabs that insurance pays for and state will help fund. Then if the students want to join the long term Faith based program after the 90 days they can. This is very controversial move because the concern is that they will not be able to preach Jesus Christ as the solution for the short term program and get the funding. They are hoping to funnel these people into the Faith based program and therefore maybe reach people that would never have entered into the program without going through the short term state funded program first.

I don't know what I think about that. I have heard positive and negative things about it.

Even my pastor who is a pastor over about 15 other pastors is a Teen Challenge Graduate.

Scribe ! I really appreciate the wealth of information you have gave me here that is so kind of you to take the time out your day to advise me to such depth. I will find out about this baptism of the Holy Spirit, I don't even know what that is myself tbh, I'm in the baptist denomination, is this in the same vein as that ? I do appolagise I am still on my infancy with Christianity and am learning a lot of new things right now but get lost at a lot of things, another reason I am being so dillegent about this I need to make sure what I'm getting myseof into, this was my Pastora idea though so I'm confident he wouldn't knowingly send me to anything that wasn't appropriate, I'm quite keen to read this book now, I'm at my family home for Christmas too I wish I had brought it with me....I brought my study bible and my journal thinking that's all I would need. Anyway there is plenty of time since Teen Challange want me to be down to 30ml on my methadone which is gonna take a bit time and convincing my nurse that it's safe for me to come down now. I'm on 60ml which I can easily get by on half of that but addiction services will usually only reduce me in increments of 5ml plus I reckon they won't be to hot for the idea of me going to Teen Challange but I would have suspected that anyway, I don't feel Addiction Servicea are invested in me or anybody else for that matter in getting off our methadone completely, if I want to get more methadone sure no problem but if I want to come down then they drag there heals and do what they can to discourage you, one time I asked to get brought time and the nurse I was seeing at the time replied "and why would you want to do that ?" ......I mean, that's nuts right ?lol isn't that the whole point.....to get clean ? I think they are more about just regular maintenance....well not hell no I don't want to stuck on methadone all my life I absolutely detest the stuff, I don't really differentiate between being addicted to methadone or addicted to heroin, it's still a crushing addiction which has all kinds of physical and mental health effects, alot would argue methadone is worse than heroin, It provides me stability sure but it's hella more taxing on the body and worst of all it keeps me spiritually blunt if that makes sense to you ? I don't feel I have the full use of my faculties being on methadone, it's such a horrible archaic treatment, they should have stopped prescribing it long ago. Thanks for your time again Scribe you have gave me a lot of food for thought.

I would not worry about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit until you read about it and learn about in the Bible for yourself and make your own decision. First things first. I don't want my advice on the Baptism of the Holy Spirit to muddy the waters for you. My main point was that those ATC centers that preach it are more spiritual and less "county jail" culture than those that are reformists. You want to be around the guys that are there because they want to be there and are serious about being filled with the Holy Spirit and the power of God, not those who are just "doing time" trying to please some mom or court. How do you find that center near you that is the best one for you? I think following the lead of your pastor would be a Godly biblical method. God put him in your life and it is no coincident that he is involved. Don't worry about my previous advice, you will get to that in the book when you read it and you will have questions about it then.

You are on the right path, get off that methadone and get into ATC ASAP. If you can make it through the first two months without bailing you will not want to leave. It is nothing like what you think it is like. It is actually a very fun time once you get there. You will make life long memories and friendships. You also get a lot of help transitioning into jobs, housing etc when you graduate so don't worry about what you are going to do when you graduate, it will all work out when that time comes. God will open doors for you that you never dreamed. Many guys get scholarships into college straight out of Teen Challenge. Lots of colleges want to help the guys that see it through to graduation and want to help them continue their momentum of success. I have several friends who graduated Teen Challenge and were given scholarships and are fulltime students in their 2nd or third years. You will also be able to go on staff as a paid intern helping other new guys coming into the program if you are interested in doing so after you graduate. They don't just get you off drugs. They help you become the man God created you to be. They don't abandon you, they become family, the family of God, like the church is supposed to be and they stick with you and help you all the way through to the end. It is a safe place that feels like a home not an institution. You will also meet many Christians in many churches as they work with many churches. You will always be going somewhere doing new things and experiencing new things.

Which book? I missed that post. The cross and the switchblade By D. Wilkerson or run baby run by Nicky Cruise?

I would not worry about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit until you read about it and learn about in the Bible for yourself and make your own decision. First things first. I don't want my advice on the Baptism of the Holy Spirit to muddy the waters for you. My main point was that those ATC centers that preach it are more spiritual and less "county jail" culture than those that are reformists. You want to be around the guys that are there because they want to be there and are serious about being filled with the Holy Spirit and the power of God, not those who are just "doing time" trying to please some mom or court. How do you find that center near you that is the best one for you? I think following the lead of your pastor would be a Godly biblical method. God put him in your life and it is no coincident that he is involved. Don't worry about my previous advice, you will get to that in the book when you read it and you will have questions about it then.

You are on the right path, get off that methadone and get into ATC ASAP. If you can make it through the first two months without bailing you will not want to leave. It is nothing like what you think it is like. It is actually a very fun time once you get there. You will make life long memories and friendships. You also get a lot of help transitioning into jobs, housing etc when you graduate so don't worry about what you are going to do when you graduate, it will all work out when that time comes. God will open doors for you that you never dreamed. Many guys get scholarships into college straight out of Teen Challenge. Lots of colleges want to help the guys that see it through to graduation and want to help them continue their momentum of success. I have several friends who graduated Teen Challenge and were given scholarships and are fulltime students in their 2nd or third years. You will also be able to go on staff as a paid intern helping other new guys coming into the program if you are interested in doing so after you graduate. They don't just get you off drugs. They help you become the man God created you to be. They don't abandon you, they become family, the family of God, like the church is supposed to be and they stick with you and help you all the way through to the end. It is a safe place that feels like a home not an institution. You will also meet many Christians in many churches as they work with many churches. You will always be going somewhere doing new things and experiencing new things.

I needed to hear this, it seems like this would be the right path I should be on, thank you very much I appreciate your input you have been very generous with your time and I respect the advice you have gave me, I will be sure to keep you upto date with how my application process goes. Thank you.