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History of CE Worldwide

The history of Christian Endeavour (CE) may not be that well-known to many. However, it is a youth ministry movement that has had a long and rich history spanning over 120 years that has seen literally thousands and thousands of young lives transformed around the world for Christ.

Christian Endeavour was founded in Portland, Maine in 1881 by Canadian born Francis E. Clark at the Williston Congregational Church. Clark saw that there were many opportunities for youth to "hear" the Word, but few for young people to learn to "do". CE started as a way to train and equip young people to become leaders within the local church.

[from christianendeavor.com]

CE founder Francis Clark believed in young people

For years he agonized over the church's inability to interest them in the cause of Christ and sought a way to keep them in the church. Clark faced huge hurdles. Teens (called children in Clark's day) weren't considered serious enough to make the same commitment to Christ as adults. A misguided belief about how to nurture children made the experience of church wholly unpleasant for young people. Church and Christian commitment happily ended after Sunday dinner!

But on February 2, 1881, Clark made a bold move and took the cause directly to them. Modifying the 'temperance pledge' -- a commitment NOT to do things -- he crafted a pledge which listed all the things the young Christian would DO to apply Christianity.

It was two pages long.

The 57 young people of the Williston Congregational Church of Portland, Maine were stunned by the level of commitment Clark asked of them. This meant a REAL sacrifice of time and energy. They would ACTUALLY have to LIVE the Christian life.

They weren't sure they could do it-neither was Clark's own wife Harriet.

But with encouragement from the Sunday school teacher, William Pennel, every single person signed.

The results were astonishing. The young people took ownership of their Christianity. They led Bible studies, professed their faith publicly, and applied Christianity to every area of their lives. Their churches grew, the ranks of mission organizations swelled, and their cause circled the globe.

These empowered young leaders would not accept the diminishing returns of former generations. Instead, they surged forward to the leading edge of societal development, becoming the masters of new communication technologies and new philosophies for nurturing young people.

The early Endeavorers REVERSED the common teachings of the church on young people and launched what is now called 'youth ministry.' Now, nearly every youth ministry organization today can be linked to Christian Endeavor either in history, method, or both.

At the 25th anniversary of Christian Endeavor, there were 67,000 societies worldwide, 4,000,000 members, and the first Christian youth movement was in full swing. By the time of Clark's death, Christian Endeavor had already trained millions who went on to lead the cause of Christ in the church, in politics, business, and philanthropy.

Clark recruited young people, challenged them to lead the cause of Christ, and changed his world.

By remaining as a Christ-centered and Bible-based ministry, Christian Endeavour has helped thousands of young people to put their faith to action. Many of the youth who have been exposed to our program have gone on to become leaders in churches and Christian organizations throughout the world.

Since the formation of the first Christian Endeavour society, Christian Endeavour has spread around the world and has been a blessing to countless thousands of young people. Today, CE can be found in over eighty nations worldwide.

Now, in the 21st century, Christian Endeavour is an International, Inter-denominational, Inter-racial youth ministry movement.





What is CCE? CCE Principles Our History CE Worldwide History \| Principles History of CE Worldwide The history of Christian Endeavour (CE) may not be that well-known to many. However, it is a youth ministry movement that has had a long and rich history spanning over 120 years that has seen literally thousands and thousands of young lives transformed around the world for Christ. Christian Endeavour was founded in Portland, Maine in 1881 by Canadian born Francis E. Clark at the Williston Congregational Church. Clark saw that there were many opportunities for youth to "hear" the Word, but few for young people to learn to "do". CE started as a way to train and equip young people to become leaders within the local church. [from christianendeavor.com] CE founder Francis Clark believed in young people For years he agonized over the church's inability to interest them in the cause of Christ and sought a way to keep them in the church. Clark faced huge hurdles. Teens (called children in Clark's day) weren't considered serious enough to make the same commitment to Christ as adults. A misguided belief about how to nurture children made the experience of church wholly unpleasant for young people. Church and Christian commitment happily ended after Sunday dinner! But on February 2, 1881, Clark made a bold move and took the cause directly to them. Modifying the 'temperance pledge' -- a commitment NOT to do things -- he crafted a pledge which listed all the things the young Christian would DO to apply Christianity. It was two pages long. The 57 young people of the Williston Congregational Church of Portland, Maine were stunned by the level of commitment Clark asked of them. This meant a REAL sacrifice of time and energy. They would ACTUALLY have to LIVE the Christian life. They weren't sure they could do it-neither was Clark's own wife Harriet. But with encouragement from the Sunday school teacher, William Pennel, every single person signed. The results were astonishing. The young people took ownership of their Christianity. They led Bible studies, professed their faith publicly, and applied Christianity to every area of their lives. Their churches grew, the ranks of mission organizations swelled, and their cause circled the globe. These empowered young leaders would not accept the diminishing returns of former generations. Instead, they surged forward to the leading edge of societal development, becoming the masters of new communication technologies and new philosophies for nurturing young people. The early Endeavorers REVERSED the common teachings of the church on young people and launched what is now called 'youth ministry.' Now, nearly every youth ministry organization today can be linked to Christian Endeavor either in history, method, or both. At the 25th anniversary of Christian Endeavor, there were 67,000 societies worldwide, 4,000,000 members, and the first Christian youth movement was in full swing. By the time of Clark's death, Christian Endeavor had already trained millions who went on to lead the cause of Christ in the church, in politics, business, and philanthropy. Clark recruited young people, challenged them to lead the cause of Christ, and changed his world. By remaining as a Christ-centered and Bible-based ministry, Christian Endeavour has helped thousands of young people to put their faith to action. Many of the youth who have been exposed to our program have gone on to become leaders in churches and Christian organizations throughout the world. Since the formation of the first Christian Endeavour society, Christian Endeavour has spread around the world and has been a blessing to countless thousands of young people. Today, CE can be found in over eighty nations worldwide. Now, in the 21st century, Christian Endeavour is an International, Inter-denominational, Inter-racial youth ministry movement.
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