Child Evangelism Fellowship was founded in 1937 by Rev. J. Irvin Overholdtzer, a man with a God-given vision for boys and girls in need of the Savior. Today his vision lives on.
CEF is a Bible-centered, worldwide organization composed of born-again believers whose purpose is to evangelize children with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and to establish (disciple) them in the Word of God and in a local church for Christian living.
CEF wants to reach the children with the Gospel. Our concern in seeking to evangelize them is that "not one of these little ones should perish."
Child Evangelism Fellowship Cares About... -Discipling Children: Children must be established (discipled) in their Christian lives through the Word of God. They need to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." -Establishing children in Bible-believing churches: Evangelized children need to be in the local church where they can continue growing on a regular basis. In this way, CEF serves the church and assists in the goal of church growth.
Involving other Christians in ministry to children: CEF's greatest need is for those who will see the fields which are "white unto harvest" and become involved in this outreach to children of the world.
CEF has many different ministries for children, but the primary ones are the Good News Clubandthe 5-Day Club.The Good News Club and 5-Day Club ministries take place in neighborhood settings such as homes, backyards, schools and community centers all over the world. These fast-paced, one-hour programs are designed to bring the Gospel of Christ to children on their level in their environment. Along with these clubs, CEF also has fair, camping, open-air, and internet ministries for children. Last year through these combined ministries over 22.9 million children worldwide heard the Good News. CEF provides classes to train their workers and other Christians who are burdened for evangelizing children.In fact, training Christians to effectively minister to children has been core to our ministry since it was founded in 1937. Training is offered throughout the USA and around the world through seminars, conferences, and formal courses. The Children’s Ministries Institute, a modular three-month course located at CEF International Headquarters in Warrenton, Missouri, is dedicated to providing quality, practical training for those called of God to take the Gospel message to children. Similar training is offered in various locations around the world. Courses are also offered online. CEF Press produces and distributes Bible and missionary lessons and related materials for use in teaching children to help accomplish the goals of the ministry.Teaching materials are available to the public. Visit our web store. Many products are translated into over 89 different languages and distributed around the world. An exciting program for teenagers is Christian Youth In Action (CYIA). In June all across the USA thousands of young people are trained to conduct 5-Day Clubs. Throughout the summer they have many opportunities to present the Gospel to boys and girls, experiencing the joy of leading others to the Lord. An additional summer opportunity is Summer Missions. College-age adults are trained and teach 5-Day Clubs in large urban centers and in foreign countries. This program offers challenging, often times life-changing experiences that God has used to spiritually enrich many lives.