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Teens for Christ (TFC) is a non-profit organization whose aim is that of "turning teenagers into fully committed followers of Jesus Christ". [1] To reach young people, Teens for Christ hosts weekly meetings during the school year in various locations throughout local communities.
Youth For Christ was formed in the 1940s in Allen County, Ohio. During the 1980s, the local Youth For Christ became Teens For Christ and started to hold chapter meetings in various homes throughout the area. During the 1990s, TFC accepted the mandate to "Turn Teenagers into Fully Committed Followers of Jesus Christ" under the leadership of its current Executive Director, Buck Sutton. From the 90s, with three senior high chapters totaling 30 teens and 8 volunteer leaders, today's roster encompasses 17 chapters and over 60 volunteers.[ citation needed ] Teens for Christ hosted an annual summer Boot Camp in Canada where students are physically, mentally, and spiritually pushed through an intense week of training on Treasure Island, a privately owned, 60 acre island located in Ontario, Canada. The camp is modeled on the military idea of boot camp. The kids are divided into platoons. Each platoon has a leadership team consisting of four to five adults. In addition, the teenagers in the platoon are ranked according to how many years they have attended. First years are privates; second years are corporals. Third years are sergeants, and fourth years are staff sergeants. [2]
In October 2008, TFC Arkansas was launched in Gentry, Arkansas, led by TFC alumni David Young. [3] In September 2009, the Rockford, Illinois, chapter was launched.[ citation needed ] In 2009, TFC launched a ministry training school, Young Ministry Institute (YMI). The program required students to attend classes, complete online studies, ministry training, mentorship development, and work in administrative roles during the day while oversee local area chapters during the evenings. The unpaid program cost students $10,000 a year for those pursuing their bachelor's degree from Biblical Studies from Clarks Summit University or $4000 a year for those completing the YMI certificate program. [4]
Teens for Christ continued to expand their reach by launching an annual conference for grades 8-12, Converge. [5] In 2018, they claimed to be the largest youth conference in Ohio. [6] Converge was closed indefinitely after the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the conference's Facebook page. [7] In January 2020, Matt Dungan became the youth ministry director of Teens for Christ. [8] While Buck Sutton remained involved in leadership with Teens for Christ, he started a new church in Lima, Ohio called Living Hope. In 2020, their average attendance was 100 congregants and online viewership of the church livestreams were over 1,800 views a service. [9]
In July 2022, allegations of abuse were shared in a letter that circulated online. The letter detailed alleged sexual harassment, misconduct, and abuse at the hands of leadership and described the organization as exhibiting "cult-like" behaviors. [10] The Allen Count Sheriff's department urged victims to share information about the organization and shared information with federal authorities as many incidents occurred allegedly across multiple states and cities. [11] In August 2022, the board temporarily suspended the local Lima, Ohio chapters and all staff allegedly involved were placed on paid administrative leave. The investigation is still pending as more victims share complaints with local authorities. [12]
TFC Kenya began in August 2005 with a man named Moses Omondi. He started in a handful of schools, and has since expanded to over 100 schools in areas of Kenya, including Nairobi and Kisumu. This ministry is reaching over 35,000 teens a week in over 130 chapters.[ citation needed ]
TFC Bangladesh was launched in June 2008. It reaches over 9,000 students through more than 150 chapters in the capital (Dhaka), the nearby Gopalganj District and Savar Upazila, Chittagong Division in the southeast of the country, Khulna Division in the southwest, and Rajshahi Division in the west. [13]
This ministry is also part of Teens For Christ's efforts to team up with a ministry that has planted 80 churches within the past five years in this area of the world.
TFC Rwanda was started by Aminadab Mbanzabugabo Muteteri in 2014 after his Bible college and two years of working for TFC in Kenia. It was started in Rusizi, Western Provinces, but is now also in four provinces of Ruanda with 17 full time stuff and some volunteers represented. They are reaching already over 30.000 teenagers and want to expand to reach teenagers all over the country every week in the Chapter meetings and offer discipleship programs to them.
Youth For Christ (YFC) is a worldwide Christian movement working with young people, whose main purpose is evangelism among teenagers. It began informally in New York City in 1940, when Jack Wyrtzen held evangelical Protestant rallies for teenagers. Rallies were held in other U.S. cities during World War II, attracting particularly large crowds in Chicago led by Torrey Johnson, who became YFC’s first president in 1944. Johnson hired Billy Graham as YFC’s first employee. Former YFC staff have launched over 100 related Christian organizations, including the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and World Vision.
A Protestant/Evangelical Youth Ministry is a Christian Ministry intended to instruct and disciple youths in what it means to be a Christian, how to mature as a Christian, and how to encourage others to claim Jesus as their Saviour through Evangelism and apologetics. This is accomplished through teaching, relationship building and/or mentoring. Youth ministries may vary widely depending on their denomination, size, liberal or conservative outlook and geographic location. The ministries themselves are almost always built on relationships between the youth minister and the student and their shared perception of their relationship to God. Youth have become an integral part of nearly every church’s ministry programming, and youth ministries continue to have a profound impact on the societies in which they exist.
The Members Church of God International, abbreviated as MCGI, is an international Christian religious organization with headquarters in the Philippines. It is popularly known in the Philippines as Ang Dating Daan, the title of its flagship radio and television program and the longest-running religious program in the Philippines which was hosted by Eli Soriano, MCGI's "Overall Servant" until his death in 2021.
Young Life is an evangelical Christian organization based in Colorado Springs, Colorado which focuses on young people in middle school, high school, and college.
Youth With A Mission is an interdenominational Christian training organization.
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The Couples for Christ (CFC) is an international Catholic lay ecclesial movement whose goal is to renew and strengthen Christian values. It is one of 123 International Associations of the Faithful.
Life Teen is a Catholic youth ministry organization in the United States.
Teen Mania International was an Evangelical Christian youth organization located in Dallas, Texas. Teen Mania focused primarily on four key programs, with a few additional smaller endeavors. It was one of the largest Christian youth organizations in the U.S.
Walker and Weeks was an architecture firm based in Cleveland, Ohio, founded by Frank Ray Walker and Harry E. Weeks.
Boot camps are part of the correctional and penal system of some countries. Modeled after military recruit training camps, these programs are based on shock incarceration grounded on military techniques. The aggressive training used has resulted in deaths in a variety of circumstances. Boot camps are also criticized around the world for their lack of behavioral change and for the way extreme force can traumatize children and teenagers.
The Battle Cry Campaign was an organizing initiative of a now-defunct parachurch organization known as Teen Mania Ministries. This initiative, started in 2005 and headed by Teen Mania founder Ron Luce, had an evangelical Christian orientation; it primarily sought to influence American and Canadian social and political culture. Major backers included prominent evangelical leaders Joyce Meyer, Chuck Colson, Pat Robertson, Josh McDowell, and Jack Hayford.
In the United States, a teen escort company, also called a youth transport firm, secure transport company is a business that specializes in transporting teenagers from their homes to various facilities.
Ohio Christian University (OCU) is a private Christian college in Circleville, Ohio. It is denominationally affiliated with the Churches of Christ in Christian Union.
Dawson McAllister was an American speaker, radio host, and author. He was the host of the radio program Dawson McAllister Live on Sunday nights from 10:00pm–2:00 am ET, which had an average audience of 500,000 listeners a week. Up until his death, McAllister had developed another version of his call-in show, Dawson McAllister Live! and a topic-driven podcast.
Ohio Valley University was a private Christian college located between Parkersburg and Vienna in West Virginia. Founded in 1958, the school integrated education with teachings of the Christian faith. The college was physically located on two separate campuses totalling 267 acres (108 ha). At one time, OVU offered bachelor's degrees in more than 30 different subject areas, but scaled back its academic options as enrollment numbers and financial stability dropped significantly. The college was accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, and was placed under academic probation in 2020 by the Higher Learning Commission due to ongoing long-term financial struggles. In December 2021, the OVU Board of Directors voted to close the college after the Fall 2021 semester. The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission voted to revoke OVU's authority to grant degrees shortly thereafter. Seniors were allowed to finish their degrees without the loss of any credit hours in the spring semester of 2022 at several other institutions of higher education related to Churches of Christ through "teach out" agreements.
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