Understanding the Program
What Is Teen Challenge?
The world's largest faith-based addiction recovery program. Over 1,400 centers in 140+ countries. Sixty-five years of helping people find freedom through discipleship.
“It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
— Mark 2:17
1958
Founded
1,400+
Centers Worldwide
200+
U.S. Locations
12-18 months
Program Length
The Short Answer
Teen Challenge is a faith-based, residential recovery program for people struggling with addiction and other life-controlling issues. Despite the name, most residents are adults. The program typically runs twelve to eighteen months. Residents live on-site, study the Bible, work, and rebuild their lives. The cost is usually low or nothing because most centers are funded through donations rather than insurance.
Key Distinction
12-18 months, not 30 days.
A month is long enough to detox and learn coping strategies. It's rarely long enough to address the underlying issues that led to addiction. Teen Challenge's extended timeframe allows for genuine discipleship: new habits, trauma work, restored relationships, and discovering identity apart from substances.
Learn more: How to choose a faith-based program
The Origin Story
How Teen Challenge Started
The story begins with a skinny Pentecostal preacher from rural Pennsylvania named David Wilkerson. In 1958, Wilkerson felt God calling him to New York City to minister to gang members he'd read about in a magazine. He had no contacts, no plan, and no idea what he was walking into. He just went.
What he found in Brooklyn was a world of violence, heroin addiction, and young people who had been written off by everyone. Wilkerson started holding street meetings, building relationships, and eventually opened a small center where gang members could come off the streets and find a different path.
One of those gang members was Nicky Cruz, a violent leader of the Mau Maus who would later become an evangelist himself. Wilkerson wrote about those early years in "The Cross and the Switchblade," which became a bestselling book and later a film.
From that one storefront in Brooklyn, Teen Challenge grew into a global network. The approach remained consistent even as the ministry expanded: meet people where they are, bring them into community, disciple them through Scripture, and give them time to rebuild. Sixty-five years later, that's still what happens in Teen Challenge centers around the world.
Inside the Program
How Teen Challenge Works
Teen Challenge is residential, meaning participants live on-site for the duration. This isn't outpatient counseling or a support group. It's a complete change of environment, which is often exactly what someone needs when their current environment is what's killing them.
A Typical Day
Morning
Personal devotions, breakfast, classes
Midday
Bible study, life skills curriculum, chapel
Afternoon
Work therapy and vocational training
Evening
Dinner, group time, personal study
The curriculum covers Bible study, life skills, anger management, financial literacy, and other topics. Chapel services happen regularly, sometimes daily. Work therapy contributes to facility operations through landscaping, maintenance, cooking, or other tasks.
The Three Phases
Phase 1
Stabilization
Adjusting to the schedule, detoxing if necessary, and beginning to engage with community. The focus is on physical and emotional stabilization.
Phase 2
Formation
Deeper spiritual formation, personal growth, and developing practical skills. This is where the real discipleship work happens.
Phase 3
Reentry
Preparing for life after graduation: finding housing, securing employment, connecting with a local church, and building a support network.
Learn what happens in the final phase: Life after Teen Challenge graduation
Who Teen Challenge Serves
The name causes confusion.
Teen Challenge sounds like it's for teenagers, but most residents today are adults. The "Teen" in the name is historical, a remnant of those early days in Brooklyn when Wilkerson was working with teenage gang members.
As the ministry grew, it began serving people of all ages. Many centers now operate under the name "Adult & Teen Challenge" to clarify this, though the original branding persists in some places.
Today, Teen Challenge serves men and women in separate facilities. The typical age range is 18 and older, though some programs serve adolescents as well.
Residents come from everywhere:
- • Drug addiction (opioids, meth, cocaine, pills)
- • Alcohol addiction
- • Criminal justice involvement
- • Multiple failed rehab attempts
- • Homelessness
- • Comfortable lives being destroyed from inside
The common thread isn't demographics. It's desperation. People come when they've run out of options and are ready to try something different.
The Big Question
Does Teen Challenge Work?
This is the question every family wants answered, and it deserves an honest response. The short answer is: for many people, yes. The longer answer requires nuance.
Teen Challenge has conducted internal studies over the years showing strong outcomes for graduates. Independent research has also looked at the program with generally positive findings. Studies show 67-86% of graduates report being drug-free, depending on the study and measurement method.
But here's what I'd want you to understand: no program works for everyone, and anyone who promises a guaranteed outcome is lying.
Read the Full Success Rate Breakdown →Success means more than staying sober.
It means becoming a different person: restored identity, healthy relationships, connection to faith community, and purpose beyond just not using. That's a high bar, and not everyone reaches it. But many do.
For families who have watched their loved one cycle through program after program, seeing genuine transformation is worth everything.
Real Stories
See what transformation looks like.
Edgar's Story
From addiction to transformation through Christ-centered recovery.
Read the story →Courtney's Story
Restored relationships and renewed purpose.
Read the story →Rocco's Story
A life rebuilt through discipleship and community.
Read the story →Justin Hurst's Story
Long-term change and a new identity in Christ.
Read the story →Taking the Next Step
How to Get Help
The Teen Challenge network has centers across the country. You can search the national directory to find programs by state. Each center operates independently, so you'll need to contact them directly about availability, requirements, and cost.
When you call, be prepared to answer: Who is the program for? What substances are involved? Any medical or legal issues? Is the person willing to enter voluntarily?
In Virginia?
Shenandoah Valley Teen Challenge can help.
We offer referral services to help families navigate the process. We can connect you with the right program based on your loved one's specific needs, whether that's a men's facility, women's facility, or adolescent program.
FAQ
Common Questions
Is Teen Challenge only for teenagers?+
No. Despite the name, most residents today are adults. The 'Teen' in Teen Challenge is historical, from when founder David Wilkerson was working with teenage gang members in 1958. Many centers now operate as 'Adult & Teen Challenge' to clarify this. Programs serve adults 18 and older, with some centers also serving adolescents in separate facilities.
How is Teen Challenge different from rehab?+
Traditional rehab typically lasts 30-90 days and focuses on detox and clinical treatment. Teen Challenge runs 12-18 months and focuses on spiritual transformation through discipleship. Rehab addresses the immediate crisis; Teen Challenge addresses the underlying identity issues. Some people need medical stabilization first, then transition to long-term discipleship.
How much does Teen Challenge cost?+
Most Teen Challenge programs operate on a donation-based model, meaning the cost to families is typically very low or nothing. Centers are funded by churches and individual donors rather than insurance billing. This sets Teen Challenge apart from private rehab facilities that can charge $30,000+ for thirty days.
Is Teen Challenge a religious program?+
Yes. Teen Challenge is explicitly Christian. The program is built around Bible study, chapel services, and discipleship. Residents are expected to participate in spiritual activities. This isn't a secular program with optional religious components; faith is central to the approach.
Does the person have to be willing to go?+
Yes. Teen Challenge is voluntary. You cannot force someone into a year-long discipleship program and expect it to work. They have to be willing to enter, even if that willingness is reluctant. Some people need to hit bottom before they're ready.
What substances does Teen Challenge treat?+
Teen Challenge addresses addiction to drugs, alcohol, and other life-controlling issues. This includes opioids, methamphetamine, cocaine, marijuana, prescription drugs, and alcohol. The program treats addiction as a spiritual problem with physical symptoms, not just a chemical dependency.
Can someone leave Teen Challenge early?+
Yes. The program is voluntary, which means residents can leave at any time. However, outcomes for people who leave early are significantly worse than for those who complete the full program. The extended timeframe exists because real transformation takes time.
What happens after someone graduates?+
Graduation isn't the finish line. The final phase of the program prepares residents for reentry: finding housing, securing employment, connecting with a local church, and building accountability relationships. What happens after matters as much as what happens during.
Are men and women in the same program?+
No. Men's and women's programs are always separate facilities. If both partners in a relationship need help, they would attend different locations. Some programs can coordinate timing so couples graduate around the same time.
How do I know if Teen Challenge is the right fit?+
Teen Challenge works best for people who are willing to engage with a faith-based approach, ready to commit to 12-18 months, and open to complete life transformation rather than just getting sober. It may not be the right fit for people who need immediate medical detox or who are unwilling to participate in Christian discipleship.
Last updated: January 2026
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