Edith and Francis Schaeffer’s Ministry to Children
by Cynthia S. Fischer
This article first appeared in the online publication of ByFaith, a publication of the Presbyterian Church of America, on 9/19/2019.
Throw out the name Francis Schaeffer in a word association game and you may hear philosopher, knickers, theologian, Alps, and L’Abri Fellowship. It is unlikely that you will hear children’s ministry or Summer Bible School. Yet the early work of Francis and Edith Schaeffer centered on children. Before they formed L’Abri, before they left St. Louis for Switzerland in 1948, in fact with the beginning of their first pastorate in Grove City, Pennsylvania, they were heavily committed to ministering to children, starting with Summer Bible Schools.
Lathem’s Bible School Movement
The Summer Bible School movement, as it was later called, originated in Francis Schaeffer’s home state of Pennsylvania. It was the creation of Rev. Abraham Lathem, pastor of the Third Presbyterian Church in Chester, Pennsylvania. Alarmed at the large number of members dropping off the rolls of Presbyterian churches, Lathem concluded that modernism was undermining the church and that children must be trained biblically to halt this decline. In Lathem’s mind, the church should use the same resources public schools used: paid experienced teachers. He hired experienced public school teachers to do this work and created a rigorous, graded curriculum for students, K-12th grade. (See addendum.)
Schaeffer with children from Covenant Bible Presbyterian Church in Grove City, Pa.
His first school opened in 1912 and ran for five weeks, five mornings a week. The curriculum focused on Bible stories, Scripture recitation, map work, tests, and report cards. Handiwork, as Lathem called it, “had no place in this course of study” other than drawing a map or taking a test. Twelve years later, more than 200 schools representing 30 denominations had opened across the country. At his death in 1955, Lathem’s Summer Bible School movement had spread internationally to places such as Korea, Canada, and India.
When the Schaeffers took their first pastorate in 1938 with the 18-member Covenant Bible Presbyterian Church of Grove City, the church had a handful of children. Schaffer implemented Lathem’s Summer Bible School program as a means of outreach to the children in this community, believing that unchurched families would seek to learn as their children had learned, respond with faith to the Gospel, and become enfolded in the church. More than 135 children enrolled that first summer and their church grew in numbers.
In 1941, the Schaeffers moved across the state where they served under Lathem in his church in Chester. The Schaeffers had a firsthand view of the international impact of the All-Bible Summer School. In 1942, Schaeffer wrote of the Summer Bible School program: “… educationally the school meets many needs. A great many of us long for an educational system that will bring our children to the Lord instead of taking them away. Modern unbelief has gained much of its control through the early planting of many of its men in educational centers. However, the setting up of Christian Schools is difficult and not many of us can achieve it. Never-the-less, in the pedagogically correct and Spirit-empowered Summer Bible School course, we have a solution which each of us can effect.”
Moving the Concept to Missouri
In December of 1943, the Schaeffers moved to the Midwest to serve the First Bible Presbyterian Church in St. Louis, Missouri. The following summer, their church hosted a month-long Summer Bible School. Approximately 250 elementary through high school students came from throughout the metropolitan area. A full-page photo spread in the July 23, 1944, issue of the St. Louis Globe-Democrat featured students coming by trolley, bus, and car with a traffic director guiding them through the crosswalk. A caption reads, “The younger set prayed with propriety. Older ones were taught biblical history and geography, the life of Jesus Christ, and other more analytical subjects.”
Schaeffer’s involvement in children’s ministry broadened in St. Louis. He and Edith created Children for Christ, a comprehensive program for instructing children in faith and also penetrating the community with the Gospel. Children for Christ had seven avenues for outreach: Home Bible Clubs, Open-Air Meetings, Released-Time Clubs, Camps, Vacation Bible School (VBS), Sunday School, and Empire Builders. The last of these was a school-year club for boys that combined aspects of scouting with Scripture memory work. Pastors were strongly encouraged to lead Empire Builders so as to develop strong relationships with their boys.
The Need for Equipped Teachers
Resources for Children for Christ consisted primarily of detailed Bible stories. These were not simple overviews of Scripture stories. Teachers were expected to be equipped through prayer and advanced study of the lesson before teaching. The Schaeffers often taught the lessons to the volunteers to illustrate the “how” of presenting Bible stories to children.
The introduction to “Studies in Luke” by the Schaeffers says that the materials are not merely evangelistic: “They also give a careful chapter-by-chapter study which should lead to growth in a Christian child, and promote a love for exegetical Bible Study.” Only a pastor with a high view of a child’s spiritual and intellectual capacity would use the word exegetical when speaking of a child’s discipleship.
The Schaeffers’ ministry to children holds many implications and admonitions for the church today.
By 1945, Children for Christ had become a national ministry with Schaeffer as the director, and in 1948 he was named the international director. Three years later, Children for Christ was adopted overseas and by 1952 it had spread to Europe, South America, and Africa. By this time, Schaeffer had turned over his leadership in Children for Christ and concentrated on L’Abri Fellowship, which he would lead the rest of his life.
Implications for Today
The Schaeffers’ ministry to children holds many implications and admonitions for the church today. First, Schaeffer believed that pastors should have strong relationships with the children — what he referred to as the “pastor’s opportunity.” In the Empire Builders curriculum, he wrote, “Many pastors do not know their boys. If the pastor is the club leader in the boys’ Empire Builders, he has an opportunity to get to know each one personally in a way that practically no other medium provides.”
Schaeffer knew the children in his congregation and considered that friendship with and ministry to them was one of his pastoral roles. We do well to remember Schaeffer’s emphasis on pastoral leadership in children’s ministry. When pastors devote energy and time to the children in their churches, they are elevating the status of children in the eyes of the congregation. Children are not nuisances to be taught “down the hall and away from the congregation,” rather they are valuable members of our churches, deserving of friendship and guidance from the most senior of its leaders. Children are part of the community of faith today, not merely the “future of the church.”
Could it be that we have neglected their place in our local “body of Christ” to the detriment of them and to ourselves?
Second, the Children for Christ curriculum resonated with high respect for a child’s capacity to learn. Even though the curriculum was skewed toward cognition with little attention to the needs of kinesthetic learners, its comprehensive treatment of biblical and theological truths underscored the belief that the authors respected children’s intelligence and capacity for faith. The belief that the faith formation of children should include in-depth Bible teaching or memorizing passages of Scripture has long ago disappeared. Could it be that we have lost great treasures that once formed the faith of our children?
Third, and equally important, children were to receive God’s Word from experienced, prepared, and praying teachers. The Schaeffers modeled stories for the teachers. The teachers practiced their stories for one another. They prayed for the Holy Spirit to convict their learners. Teachers of adults in our churches for the most part would not lead without thorough preparation. It is sadly true that many churches struggle to find adults to teach their children and often settle for anyone who will minister in this capacity. Could it be that we have lost the vision of the value and beauty of being with children and leading them in knowing God? Where are the dedicated teachers who prepare well and pray for their learners?
There is much to emulate in the Schaeffers’ high view of children in the eyes of God. They lived out the value of spending time with children and designed avenues and biblical curriculum to affect children. Nothing about their work was haphazard or second-rate. Instead, Children for Christ involved significant writing, training, and prayer. It seems accurate to conclude that this work took precedence over other ministries in their church, or better yet, shaped all their ministries in their church. Francis and Edith Schaeffer are shining examples of faith passing to the next generation starting with “the least of these.”
The author owes special thanks to Wayne Sparkman, Th.M., director of the PCA Historical Center.
Lathem’s Summer Bible School Curriculum
KINDERGARTEN(Pupils three and four years of age)
(1) The Books of the New Testament.
(2) The Twenty-Third Psalm.
(3) Fifteen questions from “Catechism for Young Children.”
(4) The Lord’s Prayer.
(5) Bible Stories.
PRIMARY
FIRST GRADE (age five years)
(1) The Lord’s Prayer.
(2) First Psalm.
(3) Twenty-two questions from “Catechism for Young Children.”
(4) Twenty-Third Psalm.
(5) Books of the Old Testament.
(6) Special Bible Verses.
(7) Bible Stories.
SECOND GRADE (age six years)
(1) “The Bible, The Christian’s Sacred Book”—first half.
(2) “The Life of Jesus”—twenty-one questions.
(3) The Beatitudes—Matt. 5:3-12.
(4) “Catechism for Young Children”—fifty questions.
(5) Psalms 8, 15, 24. Review of Psalms 1, 23.
(6) Selections from “The Way of Life.”
(7) Readings from “Beautiful Bible Stories.”
THIRD GRADE (age seven years)
(1) “The Bible, the Christian’s Sacred Book”—completed.
(2) “The Life of Jesus”—fifty-four questions.
(3) Matt. 5:1-24.
(4) “Catechism for Young Children”—one hundred questions.
(5) Selections from “The Way of Life.”
(6) Psalms 19, 27. Review Psalms 8, 15, 24.
(7) Readings from “Beautiful Bible Stories.”
INTERMEDIATE
FOURTH GRADE (age eight years)
(1) “Catechism for Young Children”—completed.
(2) Psalms 32, 34. Review of Psalms 19, 27.
(3) “The Life of Jesus”—reviewed and completed.
(4) “Shorter Catechism”—questions 1-15.
(5) Matt. 5:1-48.
(6) Readings from “A Handful of Corn.”
FIFTH GRADE (age nine years)
(1) “Adam to Saul”—forty-three questions.
(2) Psalms 37:1-11, 46, 51. Review of Psalms 32, 34.
(3) “The Twelve Apostles of Our Lord”—pages 1-15.
(4) Matt. 6:1-23. Review Matt. 5.
(5) Selections from “The Way of Life.”
(6) Readings from “A Handful of Corn.”
(7) “Shorter Catechism”—questions 16-30; review questions 1-15.
SIXTH GRADE (age 10 years)
(1) “Adam to Saul”—reviewed and completed.
(2) Psalms 65, 67, 72. Review Psalms 46, 51.
(3) “The Twelve Apostles of Our Lord”—reviewed and completed.
(4) Matt. 6:23 to Matt. 7:1-14. Review Matt. 5, 6:1-23.
(5) “Shorter Catechism”—questions 31-50; review questions 1-30.
(6) Selections from “The Way of Life.”
JUNIOR HIGH
SEVENTH GRADE (age eleven years
(1) “Saul to Christ.”
(2) Psalms 84, 87, 90. Review of Psalms 65, 67, 72.
(3) “The Apostle Paul”—questions 1-48.
(4) Matt. 7:14-29. Luke 2:8-20.
(5) “Shorter Catechism”—questions 51-75; review questions 1-50.
(6) Selections from “The Way of Life.”
EIGHTH GRADE (age twelve years)
(1) Psalms 91, 121, 122; 1 Cor. 13.
(2) Review Psalms 84, 87, 90. Matt. 7:14-29 reviewed. Luke 2:8-20.
(3) Nine Lessons from “The Way of Life.”
(4) Twenty-eight pages from “The Geography of Palestine” (A.L. Phillips)
(5) “Shorter Catechism”—questions 71-90; review of questions 1-70.
(6) “The Apostle Paul”—completed.
(7) Kings and Prophets of Israel and Judah. (From “Bible.”)
NINTH GRADE (age thirteen years)
(1) John 1:1-18; 3:1-21. Review Psalms 91, 121, 122 and I Cor. 13.
(2) “The Way of Life,” eighteen lessons. Isaiah 35.
(3) “Shorter Catechism”—completed.
(4) “Geography of Palestine” (A.L. Phillips) —completed.
(5) “Bible History” (Blaikie) —begun pp. 1-84.
SENIOR HIGH
TENTH GRADE (age fourteen years)
(1) “Bible Atlas,” pp. 1-6; p. 11, pp. 13-19; pp. 26-46.
(2) Romans 8. Isaiah 40. Review John 1:1-18; 3:1-21; Isaiah 35.
(3) “The Way of Life”—Twenty-eight lessons.
(4) John 14.
(5) “Bible History” (Blaikie) —continued pp. 84-192—reviewed pp. 1-84.
ELEVENTH GRADE (age fifteen years)
*(1) “Bible Atlas,” pp. 47-83. Review 14th year.
(2) Isaiah 53. John 15. Review Isaiah 40 and Romans 8.
(3) “The Way of Life”—completed.
(4) “Bible History” (Blaikie) pp. 192-351. (Omitting Kingdom of Israel.) Review 84-192.
TWELFTH GRADE (sixteen years and older)
(1) “A Study” of the Gospel of John. Memory chapters 16, 20, 21. Review John 15. Special Chapter the Third—see Curriculum Ninth Grade.
(2) “The Way of Life”—reviewed.
*(3) “Bible Atlas,” pp. 94-129; pp. 134-142. Review pp. 47-83.
(4) 1 Cor. 15. Review Isaiah 53.
(5) “Bible History” (Blaikie) pp. 351-500). (Omitting interval between Old and New Testament.) Review pp. 192-351. (Omitting Kingdom of Israel.)
POST GRADUATE AND TEACHER TRAINING COURSE
(First Year)
(1) “The Book of The Acts” (A Study) chapters 1-14. Memory Chapter Acts 2. (2) “Oliver’s Teacher Training Course.” Lessons 1-25.
(3) “Bible Atlas” pp. 7-11; pp. 21-25. Review principal features to p. 84.
(4) “Bible History” (Blaikie). (The Kingdom of Israel or the Ten Tribes) pp. 267-299. Review of principal facts in Blaikie to p. 299.
(5) General Review of the first half of “The Way of Life.”
(Second Year)
(1) “The Book of The Acts” (A Study) Chapter 15-28. Memory Verses Chapter Acts 20:17-35; also II Timothy, Third Chapter (throughout) and Fourth Chapter, verses 1-8.
(2) “Oliver’s Teacher Training Course” lessons 26-50.
(3) “Bible Atlas” pp. 84-93; pp. 143-154. General Review pp. 84-154.
(4) “Bible History” (Blaikie). (Interval between Old Testament and New Testament) pp. 382-408. General Review of Blaikie pp. 300-500.
(5) General Review of the second half of “The Way of Life.”
In 1975, Edith Schaeffer published “What is a Family?” and 25 years later, “A Celebration of Children.” Neither book refers to Children for Christ or their early work with children. Rather, the first text articulates in artistic and well-reasoned logic the beauty and necessity for families to be the primary nurturers of children. She reminds her readers that intergenerational faith connections through illness, economic hardship, and marital disagreements are the foundation on which faith is tested and lived.
The second text echoes much of the first one but does it in practical, heartfelt advice. She begins with the sacredness of a child’s first home, the womb, and moves to generational “truth passing,” by teaching appreciation for beauty, Jesus’ gentleness for children, and a myriad of other aspects of parenting. Edith holds children in high regard and writes to encourage parents to treasure and train the children entrusted to them.