Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) is an international interdenominational Christian nonprofit organization. Founded in 1937 by Jesse Irvin Overholtzer, it aims to teach the Christian Gospel to children and encourage their involvement in local churches. The organization is a charter member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.
Overholtzer was inspired by his belief that children as young as five could understand and accept the Gospel. The organization’s initial focus on Bible classes evolved into the Good News Club, and CEF expanded its programs to include summer clubs and international missions.
In 1947, CEF established a presence in Europe, beginning in Sweden, and its European headquarters are now in Romania. The organization has programs in all U.S. states and in 192 countries, supported by a workforce of full-time staff, volunteers, and missionaries. As of 2014, CEF reported teaching more than 19.9 million children.
CEF has been involved in legal disputes over its access to public schools. In 2001, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Good News Club v. Milford Central School that religious clubs could not be excluded from meeting in public schools after hours. In 2009, a U.S. District Court judge ruled that the Elk River, Minnesota school district violated CEF’s freedom of speech by prohibiting it from distributing materials during school open houses. The school district responded by adopting a policy that closed schools to all similar groups.
The organization’s methods and materials have drawn criticism. Journalist Katherine Stewart, in her 2012 book The Good News Club: The Christian Right’s Stealth Assault on America’s Children, criticized the program for rewarding participants who recruited friends of other faiths. She also claimed that a lesson plan on the biblical story of the slaughter of the Amalekites was used to justify genocide.
In response, CEF president Reese Kauffmann stated that the organization’s goal was the proper teaching of the biblical passage, not instruction in genocide. However, Stewart rebutted this, noting that the lesson plan did not mention the New Covenant and emphasized obedience to God’s command to “completely destroy the Amalekites.”
CEF has also faced opposition from groups like Protect Portland Children, which takes issue with its tactics and message. A representative for the group described CEF as a “very old school fundamentalist sect.” CEF Vice President Moises Esteves denied using “high-pressure tactics” but acknowledged that CEF teaches children they are sinners, claiming that they do so without being “nasty.” However, a Portland-area parent reported that CEF volunteers told her eight-year-old son he was “headed to hell” and had a duty to raise money for the organization.
Key Sources:
The Associated Press. (2014, July 22). Evangelical group that recruits children encounters resistance in heavily secular Portland.
Marie, B. (2015, June 30). Children’s Christian ministry called ‘psychologically harmful to children.’ Christian Today.
Rabey, S. (2024, July 25). Child Evangelism Fellowship celebrates legal victories against public schools. Baptist News Global.
Stewart, K. (2012). The Good News Club: The Christian Right’s Stealth Assault on America’s Children. PublicAffairs.
Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects, and New Religious Movements 