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A nine-month gap year · Denton, Texas · Class of 2027–28 now forming

Stand
in the gap.

“I searched for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land.”— Ezekiel 22:30

Nine months. Forty hours a week. The Bible, a Christian worldview, real leadership, and skills you can use with your hands — inside a church that will know your name. Not another Bible study. Not a year off. A year on.

Apply for 2027–28 Visit a Preview Day
9
Months · Aug–May
40
Hours a week
4
Pillars
5
Retreats & expeditions
8th
Year of GAP
What GAP is

True success is built, not found.

GAP is a holistic, church-based gap-year discipleship program for high school graduates. Our mission is simple: to equip young adults to build a life of true success (Joshua 1:8). A GAP graduate walks in biblical wisdom daily as they love God and serve others.

You'll spend the year at Denton Bible Church with a small class, a leadership team, and dozens of church members who teach, mentor, cook, host, and show up. You'll read your Bible every day, run a half marathon, learn to weld, wire an outlet, cook for a table of twelve, sleep outside in January, and write a plan for the next ten years of your life.

"When a caterpillar makes its metamorphosis into a butterfly, it emerges only with great struggle. If you help the new butterfly out, it will die — because the struggle to get free is the very thing that strengthens its wings for life."Jeremy Pope, GAP Director
GAP logo: two G's, one bold and angular, one serif with a leafTwo G's, one program: strength and growth, guys and girls, formed side by side.
GAP students in a life skills session
GAP is
  • A full-time, structured year — think of it as a job
  • Taught by pastors, practitioners, and tradespeople
  • Life-on-life mentoring inside a local church
  • Hands-on: shop, range, garden, kitchen, trail
  • A plan for what comes next — college, trade, military, or work
GAP is not
  • A year off
  • Another Bible study
  • A college (we're not accredited — and we're honest about that)
  • Passive. If you're in the room, you're in.
  • For everyone. We look for hunger, humility, and honor.
The Four Pillars

Head. Heart. Hands.

Every course is built to help you know the truth, feel its weight in your own life, and do something with it. Four pillars carry the year.

The Word of Life
PILLAR I

Bible

Learn to read, study, and teach the Bible for yourself. You'll finish by writing a six-week study on Galatians.

  • Biblical ExpositionWeekly, all year
  • Bible Study MethodsFall
  • Chapel & DevotionalTwice weekly
  • Daily reading & monthly memorySelf-directed
Tommy Nelson teaching Gap Students
PILLAR II

Worldview

Understand the times, and know what to do about them. Build a biblical conviction for how to influence the culture for Christ.

  • Christian WorldviewAll year
  • Cultural EngagementAll year
  • Church HistorySpring
Leadership Retreat
PILLAR III

Leadership

Servant leadership applied to nine spheres of life — from the workplace to the family — and a vocational mission you actually chart.

  • Biblical LeadershipNine monthly blocks
  • Vocational MissionCollege · trade · military · work
  • Manhood / WomanhoodGuys & girls tracks
  • Purity · Relationships & SexualityGuys & girls tracks
Girl learning woodworking
PILLAR IV

Life Skills

Competency in six areas, taught by people who do this for a living — and the ability to teach a beginner yourself.

  • ArtisanshipWoodworking · knifemaking · welding
  • AutomotiveEngines · tires · fluids · electrical
  • HomeElectrical · plumbing · cooking · hospitality
  • OutdoorsFirst aid · firearms safety · hunting · survival
  • Creation CareGardening · permaculture · stewardship
  • Physical FitnessHalf marathon · Brazilian jiu-jitsu

Plus three aspects that shape how it all lands: Special Topics (budget, communication, dating), Milestone Events (five retreats and expeditions), and Christlike Formation (mentoring, accountability, weekly ministry in the church).

GAP girls at the Cowtown Half Marathon
The Year

Seed to fruit.

August through the first weekend of May — about 1,400 structured hours. The year is built to compound: what you learn in September you'll teach by April.

Aug – Sep

Seed

  • Move in with host family
  • Commissioning ceremony
  • Orientation weeks
  • Run training begins
  • First aid, CPR, firearms safety, range day
Oct – Dec

Sprout

  • ★ Fall campouts (guys & girls)
  • Automotive · woodworking · knifemaking
  • ★ Coed Challenge Retreat
  • Electrical & plumbing
  • Welding & project showcase
Jan – Feb

Tree

  • Church History begins
  • Navigation & wilderness survival
  • ★ Coed Leadership Retreat
  • Cooking, baking & hospitality
  • ★ Cowtown Half Marathon, Fort Worth
Mar – Apr

Fruit

  • ★ Mission trip
  • Jiu-jitsu replaces run training
  • Gardening & permaculture
  • ★ Guys' Survival Retreat · Girls' Backpacking Trip
  • Launch Weeks
May

Replicate

  • Vocational Mission presentations
  • Life Leadership Plan review
  • Year End Celebration
  • Graduation — May 1
  • Go teach someone what you learned
A typical week

What A Week actually looks like.

Mornings in class and on the road; afternoons in the shop, kitchen, or garden; Sundays in the church. Saturdays are yours.

Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
7:30/8–9:00 Run training Devotional Run training Chapel Run training Sabbath / off Church & Ministry Investment
9:00–10:30 Open Manhood / Womanhood Open Christian Worldview Open
10:30–12:00 Vocational Mission Bible Study Methods Bible Exposition Cultural Engagement Relationships / Purity
12:00–1:00 Lunch Lunch & fellowship Lunch Lunch & fellowship Lunch
1:00–3:30 Discipleship / ministry Life Skills Biblical Leadership Life Skills Life Skills
Evening Open Open Open Open Fellowship dinner

Fall schedule shown. In spring, run training becomes Brazilian jiu-jitsu (from March 1) and Bible Study Methods becomes Church History.

Core values

Three words we'll hold you to.

Every student, volunteer, and leader in GAP commits to these. They're how we make decisions when there isn't a rule.

Hunger

Proverbs 6:6–8

Pursue every GAP opportunity with excellence, own your actions, and work with an uncompromising ethic — including on the days you don't feel like it.

ExcellenceResponsibilityEffort

Humility

Philippians 2:3–8

Learn by submitting to authority, practice self-control, and root your identity in Christ rather than in being liked or being right.

ObedienceSelf-controlRespect

Honor

2 Timothy 2:20–22

Live with integrity, treat others the way you want to be treated, keep your commitments, and walk in confession and repentance.

IntegrityGolden ruleConsistency
Leadership team · 2026–27

The people who'll know your name.

A leadership team that works for months before you arrive and then pours nine months into you — backed by pastors, tradespeople, and volunteers from across Denton Bible Church.

Bruce Amason

Bruce Amason

Student & Life Skills Mentor
Biblical Manhood Instructor
Craig Bierman

Craig Bierman

Host Home Coordinator
Stephany Bierman

Stephany Bierman

Host Home Coordinator
Caroline Hamm

Caroline Hamm

Girls' Coordinator & Mentor
Supervisor / Administration · Womanhood Instructor
Kendra King

Kendra King

Life Skills Coordinator
Vocational Mission Instructor
Jeremy Pope

Jeremy Pope

GAP Director
Leadership & Bible Instructor
Shelly Pope

Shelly Pope

Classroom Mentor
Deanna White

Deanna White

Administration
Womanhood & Life Skills Instructor
Course instructors
Kyle Roberts & Tom Nelson
Biblical Exposition
Charles Stolfus
Christian Worldview
Robert Zeinstra
Cultural Engagement
Calvin Clark
Devotional
Gordon Nickell & Nate Woodall
Purity & Identity (guys)
Amy Bruton
Relationships & Sexuality (girls)
Practitioners & tradespeople
Life Skills units
Guest speakers
College presidents, pastors, practitioners
GAP Founder

Dr. Drew Anderson

Drew came up with the idea of a church-based gap year, founded GAP, and led it for its first seven years. Everything a GAP student experiences today — the pillars, the campouts, the mentors, the hunger-humility-honor ethic — was built on the foundation he laid. We're grateful, and we're still building on it.

For parents

We treat them like adults. Here's what that means.

During the nine months you won't hear from us often — we communicate directly with your student. But our door is always open, and here is the shape of the year.

Structure & safety

  • Host homes. Students may live at home, arrange their own housing, or live with a vetted Denton Bible host family (limited availability).
  • Background checks for every applicant; an athletic physical and clearance before fitness begins.
  • A written handbook covering conduct, attendance, digital life, dating, restoration, and a 70% grading standard.
  • Limited screens. Students agree to step back from individual gaming, social media, and streaming for the year.

What it costs

  • Tuition from $4,500, tiered by application date — covers nine books, curriculum, retreats, field trips, a half marathon, and coaching.
  • $300/month in personal funds; students may work up to 20 hours a week if it doesn't interfere.
  • A reliable, insured vehicle and health insurance.
  • No scholarships currently — but many students invite friends and family to invest in their year.

Read the full FAQ

Admissions · Class of 2027–28

We'd rather have the right twelve than any twenty-four.

GAP is for a graduating senior who is driven, hungry, and tired of what the world calls success. We accept a limited number of guys and girls each year, in the order applications arrive.

STEP 1

Apply

Complete the application and background check. Set aside about two hours.

STEP 2

Interview

Our admissions team prays over every file and schedules an interview within two weeks.

STEP 3

Prepare

Accepted students start summer assignments — 10–15 hours a week of discipleship exercises, due August 1.

STEP 4

Arrive

Move in mid-August. Commissioning ceremony. Then we go.

Oct 14, 2026
Fall Preview Day
Jan 12–14, 2027
GAP Preview Days
Oct 31
Applications Open

You'll need: a profession of faith in Christ, a high school diploma or equivalent, a reliable insured vehicle, $300/month in personal funds, health coverage, and a willingness to put down the screens. Applicants agree with Denton Bible Church's statement of faith.

Questions

Straight answers.

Is GAP accredited? Will it count for college?
GAP is not accredited and isn't meant to replace a degree. It is an intense, structured discipleship year. By instructional hours and rigor it aligns with roughly 18–24 credit hours, and we work with partner institutions on recognition. Students may also take one online college class per semester. Graduates leave with a certificate, letters of recommendation, and a written life plan.
I've already been accepted to college. Can I defer?
Policies vary by school. Some allow deferral; many will ask you to reapply during your GAP year. Talk to your admissions office early — and talk to us.
Where will I live?
Housing is student-arranged: at home, in your own apartment or with local friends or family, or with a Denton Bible–approved host family. Host home availability is limited and comes with clear expectations; we share the list after acceptance.
Can I work during GAP?
Up to 20 hours a week, as long as it never conflicts with the program. If the balance doesn't hold, we'll ask you to step back from the job — but the $300/month requirement stays.
How fit do I need to be?
You need an athletic physical and clearance from a licensed provider. Everyone trains together three mornings a week — run training through February (ending at the Cowtown Half Marathon), then Brazilian jiu-jitsu through May — with accommodations as your provider prescribes. Start moving now.
How involved will I be at Denton Bible Church?
Very. Sunday services, church-wide events, meals in members' homes, and a weekly ministry placement matched to your gifting — plus a few outside your comfort zone. The local church is the venue for the whole year.
What's the deal with phones?
Almost 1,400 hours of your year are planned on purpose, and dozens of volunteers are giving you their time. You'll agree to step back from individual gaming, social media, and streaming so you can give the year your full attention.
Graduation GAP
Class of 2027–28

Get out of the crowd.
Get in the gap.