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CEF — Child Evangelism FellowshipCEF of IowaReaching Iowa’s children

Junior Youth Challenge

Junior Youth Challenge is for young people ages 11 to 14 — the years when a child has outgrown a Good News Club but is not yet old enough for Christian Youth In Action. It is built to keep them growing rather than quietly drifting away during the stretch where most ministries lose them.

Who it is for

Boys and girls ages 11 through 14, whether they came up through a Good News Club or are hearing the Gospel for the first time. Junior high is when a young person starts asking harder questions and deciding what they actually believe, and those questions deserve real answers.

What it does

Junior Youth Challenge is both evangelistic and discipleship-focused, which means it is written for a mixed group:

  • Clear Gospel teaching for young people who have not yet trusted Christ
  • Discipleship for those who have, aimed at growth they can sustain on their own
  • Training in how to explain their faith to a friend
  • Encouragement toward serving in CEF ministry themselves through CYIA

Why this age matters

This ministry exists to bridge a gap. A child can spend years in a Good News Club, age out at eleven, and have nowhere to go until they are old enough to be trained as a CYIA worker. Junior Youth Challenge fills those years, and it is often where a former club kid first sees themselves as someone God could use.

Getting started

If you have young people in this age range in your church or neighborhood, or a former Good News Club child you would like to keep discipling, contact your local chapter to talk about starting a Junior Youth Challenge group.