In the summer of 1984, John Marquez accepted a position with Teen Challenge of the Midlands as a counselor for people in the Omaha area. As his schedule of appointments grew, John began to develop a discipleship process for the people who came to him.

Vast Community Need

Within four years, the number of people requesting help became so numerous that a one-on-one counseling format was now unrealistic. Therefore, John began to meet with people in small groups.

Christ-Life Pilot Group

John started the first official Christ-Life group in Omaha, Nebraska in 1991. As group members started to experience life change, they began to spread the word to relatives, friends, and acquaintances. An ever-growing waiting list developed, and by 1992 John was conducting several Christ-Life groups per week.

Material is Developed

In 1994, John began to put the material in a written form so that others could be trained to lead Christ-Life groups. In the late 1990’s, Jim & Kathie Hobson, who were on staff with John at Teen Challenge, began to serve as Christ-Life leaders to help pilot the Christ-Life material in local churches. The fruit of those first groups was evident as the participants testified to experiencing freedom, life change, transformation, and intimacy with Christ.

Christ-Life Ministries is Born

In 2000, John, Jim, and Kathie were commissioned to become the founders of a new non-profit ministry, called Christ-Life Ministries, Inc. After steps were taken to organize and incorporate Christ-Life, this new ministry officially began on October 1, 2000.

Where we are today

Christ-Life Ministries is currently working with churches across the country in a number of different denominations. To date, thousands of people have experienced life-change including a deeper intimacy in their relationship with God.