Why is Teen Challenge one of the most effective drug recovery programs in America?
We know that to be successful an addict needs to move from a self-centered paradigm to a Christ-centered paradigm. In 1958, a young pastor from a farm town in Pennsylvania, took a step of faith into the inner-city of New York City. David Wilkerson started a movement that would change the lives of thousands. With a heart for young people, he began working with gangs and troubled youth. As he began to establish rapport within the city, he became aware of the life-controlling issues destroying these young people. Everywhere David turned he saw the consequences of addictin: a 16 year old girl working the streets, a 12 years old boy murdered by his younger brother, the sight of a teenage mother with her baby on her lap, begging for food and shelter. The young pastor found himself in a place with no hope and no future: these children had been set up for failure. He knew he had to break the vicious cycle. He had to offer a way out of their trouble and despair. Later that year, the first Teen
