Curriculum

Taught by Chap Clark

Today’s youth are truly at home in the cyberworld of modern electronica. Chap Clark helps explain that world to pre-wired generations and what is similar and different about that world from all that has come before it.

Taught by Ron Luce

Peer pressure has always been a reality, a function of transferring commitments from parents and family to one’s social group. Ron reveals the good and the bad of it and how to use peer pressure for coming into relationship with Christ.

Taught by Glen Havens

The knowledge we have gained in the past generation about our biological selves is enormous. These two dedicated psychiatrists help us navigate this otherwise overwhelming database by giving us the essentials for understanding the biology of youth, and for recognizing and referring for help when that biology is not properly working.

Taught by Eric Scalise

Teenagers today are doubly challenged—confused about how to respect and apply the rules to modern relationships—like we all were when we were teens—but also in knowing what the rules are in today’s post-modern confusion.

Taught by Gary Sibcy

Tragically, some kids miss achieving the critical challenges of identity, relationship, and citizenship in this turbulent world. Living and working with such teens is a huge challenge and drain our time and resources if we don’t know what to do to properly help.

Taught by Chap Clark

Ministry is about connecting, and connecting with teenagers is an artful skill—something we can learn and practice until we become skilled at it. Chap discusses the power of healthy communication with today’s teens and reveals both what to talk about and how best to do it.

Taught by Ron Luce

Brokenness is a big theme in the social life of today’s youth—broken families, broken friendships, broken love relationships. Yet brokenness is also a theme in God’s love toward us, and Ron reveals how brokenness can be transformed by God into something good.

Taught by Tim Clinton

Today’s teens are starving for relationships like never before, and often due to the fear flowing out of the attachment wounds they carry out of too many broken modern families. Tim will help us navigate through these bloody seas by showing us how to meet the love hunger of today’s youth.

Taught by Steve Russo

The number and depth of brokenness in today’s family life has made far too many teens coming out of them susceptible to cults—and occult practices. Steve Russo shows us how to reach someone trapped in the snares of this evil and how to inoculate at-risk teens so they don’t fall to these dark ways.

Taught by Sharon Hart May

The identity challenge of all teens is a function of exploring and coming to a place of knowing, in substantial part, who I am and that I am someone of significance and worth. Sharon shows how to facilitate the best answers to this critical teenaged journey.

Taught by David Stoop

No matter what the secular world promotes, there is no substitute for strong fathers in a two-gender parent system. Dr. Stoop takes us on a journey that reveals the strength—and the lack of it—that good dads create in the modern family.

Taught by Linda Mintle

Likewise, there is no substitute for strong mothers in a two-gender parent family. Linda reveals the characteristics of strong and loving moms and how that produces good and healthy children and teens today.

Taught by Josh Straub and Michelle McKinney Hammond

Today’s youth are overwhelmed by serious commitment, so relationships are very casual—casual friends, casual times, and casual sex are all part of the milieu. Josh and Michelle explore this ‘hanging out and hooking up’ culture and show how to penetrate it with serious truth.

Taught by Erica Tan, Michael Todd Wilson, Doug Roseneau and David Hall

Smart teens can be the craftiest little legalists you’ll ever find—much quicker to defend and justify than any parent. This can be deadly for the technical virgin—justifying oral sex while eschewing intercourse. Erica, Michael, Doug and David help us help such teens by showing how wise and grace-full boundary setting is done instead of that based of a legalistic and deadly orientation.

Taught by Erica Tan, Doug Rosenau, David Hall and Michael Todd Wilson

Secular culture is selling our children a bad bill of goods—safe sex is okay, and homosexual feelings mean you must be gay. Erica, Michael, Doug and David challenge these assumptions with hard facts and God’s truth about human sexuality and teen development.

Taught by Mark Chironna

Getting pregnant and parenting babies are still a badge of honor for some youth, while all pregnancies face the question of abortion today. Dr Chironna explores these issues and shows how modern youth can deal with it biblically.

Taught by Tom Whiteman

While divorce trends have leveled off for the past 10 years, it is still a sober fact that one in every two marriages ends in divorce. If today’s teens are not directly affected by their parents’ divorce, they know someone close who is. Tom discusses the impact of divorce on youth today and reveals how best to cope with it.

Taught by Leslie Vernick and Jennifer Cisney

National headlines are filled with stories of date rape, violence, stalking, Internet predators and abuse. Our teens are facing dangers in relationships unlike previous generations. Leslie Vernick and Jennifer Cisney help to build awareness of the dangers facing our teens and give guidelines for talking with teens about protecting themselves and spotting the signs of a potentially dangerous relationship.

Taught by Catherine Hart Weber

Stress, anxiety, and moodiness are quickly becoming the rule, not the exception, among today’s youth. Catherine explores why this is so and what to do to help teenagers who struggle with these increasingly common maladies.

Taught by Marian Eberly

In a culture that worships perfect, thin bodies, today’s youth are caught up in this perfectionistic expression like never before. Marian explores these dynamics and shows us how to intervene to prevent and treat those who suffer this way.

Taught by Georgia Shaffer

Schools today are teaching demand much more than strict education, as the effects of personal strife and family break-up are brought into the school like never before. Georgia addresses the issues of learning disabilities and behavioral problems in the schools, and shows us what to do with these growing school problems today.

Taught by Chap Clark and Catherine Hart Weber

Teen drug use has become highly secretive and sophisticated, and involves a pharmacopia of substances of which previous generations had only limited availability. Chap and Catherine help us navigate this besotted world and show us how to help youth trapped in its snare.

Taught by Ed Maynard

Males at high risk for illicit sex and drug use show a variety of defining characteristics and personality traits that put them at risk. Ed reveals these patterns and shows us how to intervene to help young males walk a better path.

Taught by Marnie Ferree

Females at high risk for illicit sex and drug use also show a variety of defining characteristics and personality traits that put them at risk. Marnie reveals these patterns as well, and shows us how to intervene to help young females avoid trouble and cope with it.

Taught by Glen Havens

Attention Deficit Disorder is becoming all too common a modern malady of American children. Glen describes the problem and shows us the best ways to treat it—ways that balance both behavioral and psychiatric approaches.

Taught by Jorge Prado

Inner city youth are beset by unique issues that are rare outside big city life. Jorge tours these hazards and reveals how to reach inner city youth in a relevant and helpful way.

Taught by Sara Trollinger

Instead of cults and the Occult, the hunger of family brokenness can just as well motivate youth to seek out God. Sara shows us how to reach needy teens with a modern day faith, one that meets the deepest thirsts that only God can quench.

 TECO 504: Facing Major Decisions: College, Work and Marriage

Taught by Josh Straub and Jennifer Cisney

Young people are beset by the major decisions that we all faced at that age—where to go to college, what to do vocationally, and who to marry? Josh and Jennifer explore these decisions and a way to approach them successfully.

TECO 505: Teen Self-Injury: Self-Mutilation and Cutting

Taught by Linda Mintle

Self-mutilation and cutting are becoming endemic with conflicted youth. Linda reveals the story of teen self-injury, what it means, and what to do to treat and help teens caught up in this dangerous behavior.

  TECO 506: Teen Suicide: Issues and Intervention

Taught by Glen Havens, George Ohlschlager and Jim Nelms

Teen suicide is the third leading cause of death of American youth today. Glen, Jim and George discuss why this is so, and what to do to intervene to prevent death among suicidal youth.