About Us

Child Evangelism Fellowship was founded in 1937 by Rev. J. Irvin Overholtzer, 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 Needs You…

  • to become involved in the ministry to children in your neighborhood
  • to become a volunteer instructor or teacher with CEF
  • to be trained in effective methods of outreach to the children
  • to pray for the ministry on a daily basis
  • to support CEF financially and to volunteer or serve fulltime

Quality Training & Materials

CEF Press offers some of the best material available for ministry to children.

CEF is presently involved in over 165 countries, with over 1,400 staff members. Our emphasis overseas is to develop national workers and leaders. CEF is active in every state and province in North America.

CEF wants to assist you through teaching materials, training and contact with others who can help you. Please submit the Response Form for further information on how we can help you evangelize and disciple children for the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Children’s Ministries Institute (CMI) provides a thorough foundation and ongoing education for those involved at every level of children’s ministry. The popular Teaching Children Effectively courses are offered at CMI and at various locations throughout the country. CMI’s central campus is west of St. Louis in Warrenton, Missouri and offers extension sites around the world.

Read An Overview Of CEF’s Ministries