It was one of the largest Christian youth organizations in the U.S.[2][3] Its primary program included "Acquire the Fire" events, described by one writer as "a mix of pep rally, rock concert and church service,"[4] that were held in over 30 cities across the United States and Canada each year.

Teen Mania operated a one-year-long residential leadership training program on its campus, titled the Honor Academy, aimed towards high school graduates, and college students.

This aggressive element is reflected in the vision statement: "To build an engaged ensemble of young people that are: radical, passionate, resilient, informed revolutionaries that will take the Gospel to the nations and multiply by teaching others to do the same.

[6][7] In its final years it faced significant financial difficulties, including a foreclosure on the campus, a lawsuit for breach of contract, and over $5.2 million in negative assets.

[8][9][10] In February 2014 the ministry changed its name to "Teen Mania International" as part of a move from Garden Valley to Dallas after defaulting on the mortgage on their campus.

Major backers include prominent evangelical leaders Joyce Meyer, Chuck Colson, Pat Robertson, Josh McDowell, and Jack Hayford.

[28] In 1996 Teen Mania relocated from Tulsa, Oklahoma to Garden Valley, Texas, purchasing the property that was formerly the location of Keith Green's Last Days Ministries.

[citation needed] In February 2014, Ron Luce announced that the Garden Valley property had been released to its mortgage holder and the ministry headquarters were to be moved to Dallas, saying, "the reality of land management is no longer practical or germane to the international scope of the organization.

"[29] Teen Mania's Communications Director later told reporters that the Honor Academy had in fact stopped their mortgage payments in November 2013 leading to default and foreclosure, but that Luce hid "the full nature of the situation" to raise donations.

Teen Mania was a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) until March 10, 2014, when their accreditation was terminated "for failure to provide complete renewal information.

[16] World Magazine interviewed several former staff and board members who expressed concerns about Teen Mania's use of funds, citing such problems as the default and foreclosure on the Garden Valley campus, high debt load, "reckless spending," and an "unusual transaction" in which millions of dollars of Teen Mania's debt were funneled into His Work Ministries, a nonprofit owned by Ron Luce.

[48][49] In an MSNBC documentary, counselors Doug and Wendy Duncan identified all of Robert Jay Lifton's "Eight Criteria for Thought Reform" in the Honor Academy program, as described in personal accounts and video footage from several alumni and former staff spanning the past twelve years.

[7] In September 2010, local Texas news station KLTV reported a three-part story on the Honor Academy's optional "ESOAL" retreat (an acronym for the "Emotionally Stretching Opportunity of a Lifetime").

[53] Injuries including cuts, bruises, infections, sprains, dislocations, and exposure were reported by an area doctor, raising concerns about the event's safety.

[55][56] In response to the KLTV news story, Teen Mania leadership promised to form an independent committee to investigate the charges of safety violations.

[58] In a video announcement from his blog, David Hasz, the director of the Honor Academy, explained that ESOAL had "changed dramatically and metamorphosized(sic) over the years" and would now be called PEARL (an acronym for Physical, Emotional, and Relational Learning).

"[64] Teen Mania's Battle Cry Campaign was criticized by mainstream media for its use of military metaphors and imagery, politicizing faith and cultural issues, and using statistics some[weasel words] believe are "greatly exaggerated.

"[65][66][67][68] Teen Mania was sued by Compassion International in November 2014, seeking $174,124.73 in damages for breach of contract related to canceled Acquire The Fire events.

[10] On September 9, 2015, the 4th Judicial District Court in Colorado Springs issued an arrest warrant for Ron Luce for failure to appear at a hearing regarding this lawsuit.