Last year, Child Evangelism Fellowship announced an ambitious goal of reaching 100 million children each year. It said it expected to achieve the goal in 10 to 15 years.
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MinistryWatch checked in with CEF to learn about the ministry’s progress toward this goal.
From 2022 to 2023, CEF saw 29% growth in its face-to-face ministry to children around the world. In 2022, it reached about 19 million children, and in 2023 that number rose to over 25 million.
In 2024, CEF is on track to reach between 30 and 32 million children.
“It is exciting to see how God has grown the ministry,” Fred Pry, CEF’s acting vice president of administration, told MinistryWatch.
Some of the regions with the greatest growth include the Asia Pacific region, the Middle East, and West and Central Africa.
One of CEF’s key ministries that has led the growth is its Christmas party clubs. Often hosted by local churches, Christmas Party clubs are an outreach to children in their respective communities.
Christmas party clubs accounted for 9 million of the children it reached in 2023.
Children are invited to enjoy games, activities, a snack, and a small gift or prize. However, Pry emphasized the Gospel is at the center of the party, and children are encouraged to memorize a bible verse.
“We don’t set it up as a time to ‘come get your Christmas present,’” Pry said.
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Because they are shorter, one-day events, Pry said Christmas party clubs provide an opportunity for outreach that doesn’t necessarily grab the attention of authorities, making it possible in more closed countries where safety can be a concern.
In one small village, CEF workers approached a church about hosting a Christmas party club. The pastor declined, seeming hesitant about how the community would receive it.
Unfazed, the workers moved along and asked a local pub owner if he would be willing to host a party in his gathering space. The pub owner eagerly agreed, and 20 children attended, Pry said.
CEF challenges churches that host Christmas party clubs to translate those into longer-term Good News Clubs for children, which allow for more discipleship. Pry said that about 8% of Christmas party clubs lead to establishing a Good News Club.
While the Christmas party clubs have opened many doors, CEF is also working on other initiatives. It has a Junior Youth Challenge program for middle school children and plans to train more children to evangelize their peers. The “children reaching children” program was successfully piloted in America, Pry said, and is ready to be rolled out all over the world.
The numbers Pry provided only account for face-to-face ministry, but he said children are also being impacted through its literature distribution and digital ministry efforts, the impact of which are harder to measure.
“As God provides the laborers and the resources, we believe He is leading us down this path,” Pray said of the plans to continue working toward its goal.
“We are depending on God’s blessing for this ministry. It is all about Him.”
In the MinistryWatch database, CEF has an “A” transparency grade, a 2-star financial efficiency rating, and a donor confidence score of 75, meaning donors can give with confidence.
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