About Us

History

David Wilkerson recognized God was calling a significant number of redeemed and fired-up Teen Challenge graduates to the ministry. And he also realized that with training, they could have an amazing impact on those from similar backgrounds and those living in needy drug and gang-infested communities.

Rev. Wilkerson established the Teen Challenge Ministry Institute at his Texas headquarters. The school successfully trained hundreds of students who are today in leadership ministry positions. He closed that school in 1980, and to ensure its continuance, he assisted with the establishment of that ministry here in Southern California in 1981.

The TCMI mission is two-fold:

Train students to serve the Teen Challenge ministries in Southern California and around the world in entry-level positions.
Train students to work in the harvest field of the nation's inner cities.

The year thus far

2010 is in full swing and at the Teen Challenge Ministry Institute we couldn’t do this without you and the Lord. Thank you to all who have prayed and faithfully support TCMI.

Currently we have 64 students and 5 interns that are being equipped and trained to be effective ministers of the Gospel. This quarter, students are studying “Pentecostal Doctrine”, “The Book of Acts”, and learning how to deal with “Anger and Stress God’s Way”. Our student-led ministry teams serve 8 different local churches each Sunday.

In February, we traveled to Phoenix, AZ to Phoenix First Assembly and Tommy Barnett’s Pastor and Leaders school. Students and staff attended workshops on how to develop character, train in ministry, and motivate them to dream BIG.

On March 21st, 14 studentsgraduated and moved on to serve in Teen Challenge centers in Riverside, Orange County, Tennessee Valley, Redwood, and San Jose and also to local ministries, churches and back in their home towns of Santa Ana, Hemet, Pomona, Lancaster/Palmdale, and Seattle, WA.

For our March (Spring) Quarter, 22 new students have been accepted, and 3 of our TCMI interns taking orientation and classes, which include the “Local Church in Evangelism” and the “Prison Epistles”.

With the purchase of our South Gate campus in 2004, God has given us new opportunities to minister to our community. Starting in 2005 our students began reaching out to the youth, inviting them for recreational activities, pizza, and a Bible study, and the “God Squad” ministry was born. Through God Squad, we saw a need to assist the youth and their siblings with homework in a structured environment. In response to the need we started our after school Learning Center January 2007. At TCMI, ministry to the homeless, to the disabled, food distribution, youth mentoring and assisting children with their homework takes place weekly.

With all the people coming onto our campus for our various ministries, we saw a real need to minister to the entire family, and in 2007 we started a Wednesday night Bible study called “Family Night.” From that, interest in further discipleship was generated and on Easter Sunday in 2008 we had our first Sunday morning church service! This year marks the beginning of our 3rd year of community via a Sunday morning service. Women’s and men’s groups, youth home study groups, and continued services have impacted the lives of all those who have attended our services. In 2009 we averaged 166 people attending our Sunday service and 98 people at our Wednesday night service.

The TCMI students and staff are also using their gifts and talents by evangelizing, outreach, playing instruments and singing on the worship team. They serve by ushering, running the sound equipment and PowerPoint presentations, preparing the nursery and children’s church programs and taking God’s grace to those who desperately need it. We are grateful for all who partner with us at Teen Challenge Ministry Institute to train and equip the students for the ministry.