Child Evangelism Fellowship

What Child Evangelism Fellowship does

Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) is a Bible-centered, interdenominational 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1937 and headquartered in Warrenton, Missouri. The organization operates the world's largest evangelistic outreach to children, delivering structured religious education through weekly Good News Clubs, summer 5-Day Clubs, Christmas Party Clubs, Junior Youth Challenge (ages 11-14), Military Children's Ministry, Camp Good News, and a Children Reaching Children peer-evangelism program, plus digital delivery via U-Nite TV and U-Nite Radio and a free quarterly IMPACT Magazine. In 2025, CEF reports reaching more than 34 million children worldwide across nearly every nation and all 50 U.S. states, supported by thousands of local missionaries, tens of thousands of volunteers, and 619,000+ trained teachers.

CEF's underlying technology is a Bible-centered curriculum and publishing system (CEF Press) producing lessons translated into more than 200 languages, delivered through proprietary branded club formats, a children's ministry training institute (CMI) with both residential and online modalities, and digital media platforms. The organization holds registered trademarks for Good News Club, 5-Day Club, Christmas Party Club, CEF Press, U-Nite TV, Children's Ministries Institute, and other sub-brands, and it claims nearly 400 legal victories stemming from the 2001 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Good News Club v. Milford Central School District that secured access to public schools.

CEF's business model is donation-driven: as a 501(c)(3), it is funded primarily by contributions from individual donors, churches, and ministry partners, with a 12% administrative fee assessed for worker support and a 5% processing fee on U.S. chapter electronic donations, plus gift designations such as $85 Boxes of Books and $75/week Sponsor-A-National support. Secondary revenue comes from product sales through the CEF Press online store. CEF segments its stakeholders into children (recipients), local churches (program partners), national and international missionaries (operators), and donors/ministry partners (funders), with hybrid segmentation spanning personas and business units.

Name

Child Evangelism Fellowship

Legal name

Child Evangelism Fellowship Inc.

Website

https://cefonline.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1937

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Religious Education / Nonprofit Ministry

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Missions & Evangelism Organizations (Domestic & International) (BPAGAJAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Missionary Training Colleges & Schools (EDAHAKAF), Religious Education, Kids & Family Faith Programming (MPABALAM)

Keywords

• Children's ministry
• Bible education
• Evangelism programs
• Missionary training
• Religious publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Warrenton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, CEF operates primarily through donations from individuals, churches, and ministry partners. Donors can designate gifts to Where Needed Most, Training, Boxes of Books, Sponsor-A-National, Christmas Party Clubs, or Individual Missionaries.
2. CEF Press Store: CEF Press produces and distributes Bible lessons and teaching materials available for purchase through the online store (cefpress.com). Products are translated into over 200 languages.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) is a nonprofit children's ministry that evangelizes and disciples children through structured club programs (Good News Club, 5-Day Club, Christmas Party Club, Junior Youth Challenge, Military Children's Ministry, Camp Good News, Children Reaching Children) and trains missionaries, volunteers, and church workers via the Children's Ministries Institute (on-campus and online). The organization produces and distributes Bible-centered curriculum and materials through CEF Press in more than 200 languages and reaches children via digital platforms U-Nite TV and U-Nite Radio, funded largely by donations from individuals, churches, and ministry partners.

Product overview

Child Evangelism Fellowship operates a portfolio of interconnected ministry programs for children combining in-person clubs, digital content, training, and published materials. The core offerings include Good News Club® (weekly after-school program), 5-Day Club® (summer intensive), and various specialized clubs (Christmas Party Club®, Junior Youth Challenge®, Military Children's Ministry℠, Children Reaching Children™, Camp Good News®). Digital ministry includes U-Nite TV® and U-Nite Radio for Gospel content delivery. Training is provided through Children's Ministries Institute® (on-campus and online) and the Christian Youth In Action® summer program. Publishing is handled by CEF Press®, producing Bible lessons and materials translated into over 200 languages. IMPACT Magazine provides quarterly updates on ministry activities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Good News Club: Weekly club during school year where trained teachers meet with groups of children in schools, homes, community centers, churches
• 5-Day Club
• Christmas Party Club
• Junior Youth Challenge
• Military Children's Ministry
• Children Reaching Children
• Camp Good News
• U-Nite TV
• U-Nite Radio
• Children's Ministries Institute (CMI)
• CEF Press
• Christian Youth In Action (CYIA)
• IMPACT Magazine
• Sponsor-A-National

Products and services

• Good News Club Weekly club ministry where trained teachers meet with groups of children in schools, homes, community centers, and churches with parental permission to share the Gospel message.
• 5-Day Club Five-day summer outreach program featuring dynamic Bible lessons, creative learning activities, missionary stories, songs, and Scripture memorization.
• Christmas Party Club Holiday evangelistic ministry presenting the Gospel to churched and unchurched children through a party format sharing the true story of Christmas.
• Junior Youth Challenge Evangelistic and discipleship ministry for young people ages 11-14, bridging Good News Club and Christian Youth In Action programs.
• Military Children's Ministry Ministry providing stability and life-changing biblical truth to children in military families through Good News Clubs in military neighborhoods.
• Children Reaching Children Ministry equipping children ages 8-15 to share the Gospel with peers through the Go and Tell training program using color-based tools and witnessing materials.
• Camp Good News International camping program using CEF-owned or rented facilities with trained staff focused on evangelism and discipleship for children.
• U-Nite TV Digital ministry platform uniting children with the Gospel through animated adventures, songs, missionary stories, and engaging videos.
• U-Nite Radio Digital ministry uniting kids with the Gospel through adventures and foundational biblical truths delivered via audio content.
• IMPACT Magazine Free quarterly digital magazine communicating what God is doing through CEF ministries worldwide, available in interactive flip-book format.
• CEF Press Publishing arm producing and distributing Bible and missionary lessons and related materials for teaching children, available in over 200 languages.
• Children's Ministries Institute (CMI) Three-month modular course at International Headquarters in Warrenton, Missouri providing practical training for those called to take the Gospel to children.
• CMI Online Training Online courses and training programs offered through CMI Online, including Teaching Children Effectively (TCE) and Wordless Book training.
• Kickoff! Soccer Party Club Soccer-themed Party Club ministry reaching children and families through sports connections, launched to engage communities during World Cup events.
• Christian Youth In Action (CYIA) Summer training program for teenagers to become equipped in children's ministry, with teens receiving training to teach at 5-Day Clubs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 34+ million children impacted with the Gospel annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Local churches worldwidecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEF partners with local churches to help them reach out, connect with, and minister to children and families through the RCM (Reach, Connect, Minister) Method. Churches facilitate Good News Clubs and 5-Day Clubs in schools and neighborhoods using CEF's programs, training, materials, and support.
• Public schools (USA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThrough the Supreme Court ruling in Good News Club v. Milford Central School District (2001), CEF is permitted to conduct Good News Clubs in public schools across America, providing children opportunities to hear the Gospel during school hours.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Scripture Union: Scripture Union is an international Christian movement producing Bible-based ministry to children and young people across 200+ countries — directly comparable to CEF in mission (child evangelism/discipleship), global footprint, and curriculum-based programming.
• Awana Clubs International: Awana is a globally operating, church-based children's discipleship ministry running weekly clubs with curriculum, memorization, and games — directly comparable to CEF's Good News Club model and target audience of evangelical churches and children.
• Pioneer Clubs: Pioneer Clubs provides church-based weekly children's ministry programs with structured curriculum and teacher training — directly comparable to CEF's club-based children's evangelism and disciple model in North America.
• Keys for Kids Ministries (formerly Children's Bible Hour): Keys for Kids produces daily radio devotionals and children's ministry resources aimed at evangelism and discipleship — directly comparable to CEF's U-Nite Radio and CEF Press content production model.
• Royal Ambassadors / National WMU Children's Missions: National WMU runs Royal Ambassadors and children's missions education programs (e.g., Girls in Action) in Southern Baptist churches — directly comparable to CEF's church-partnered child missions discipleship model and teacher-training approach.

Broad incumbents

• Young Life: Young Life is a large, established evangelical youth ministry reaching adolescents through clubs, camps, and volunteer leaders — broadly comparable to CEF's volunteer-led club model, though serving an older (middle/high school) age group.
• Compassion International: Compassion International is a large, established faith-based child-sponsorship nonprofit operating globally — broadly comparable to CEF in mission (child-focused evangelical ministry), donor-driven revenue model, and global footprint, but with a much larger sponsorship and international-development scope.
• World Vision International: World Vision is a large, established Christian humanitarian organization focused on child welfare, sponsorship, and community development — broadly comparable to CEF in donor-driven, child-centric, faith-based global operations, though with a humanitarian rather than purely evangelistic mission.

Others

• Focus on the Family: Focus on the Family is a large evangelical media and family ministry producing content, broadcasts, and resources for Christian families — thematically related to CEF's faith-based media (U-Nite TV/Radio, IMPACT Magazine) and family-discipleship mission, though it does not directly compete in children's club programming.
• Wycliffe Bible Translators: Wycliffe is a faith-based organization focused on Bible translation into the world's languages — adjacent and enabling to CEF's 200+ language ministry, since CEF Press relies on accessible Scripture translations to deliver its curriculum globally.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/childevangelism
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCmYZ8weedbj8KnQv9fqGSzQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/cefaroundtheworld
• Instagraminstagram.com/cefunplugged

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Child Evangelism Fellowship