The Christian Endeavor Story
The first Christian Endeavor Society was formed in 1881 under the guidance of Dr. Francis E. Clark. Through his vision, the youth of Portland, Maine, were provided the opportunity to accept Jesus Christ and serve in His cause. The Society that formed at the Williston Congregational Church encouraged young people to express themselves through participation in Christ-centered tasks. By showing young people that the church believed in their abilities, Christian Endeavor fostered the devoted, evangelistic spirit expressed in a simple Pledge.
Christian Endeavor had humble beginnings. The Society began as a small group of young people meeting at the house of Pastor Clark. Within a year, five more Societies had been formed. The organization continued to expand rapidly, hitting fifty-six Societies after only two years. Christian Endeavor began extensive publications in 1886. In 1887, Francis Clark was elected president of the United Society. In 1895, he was chosen as the President of the World's Christian Endeavor Union, a position Clark held until his death on May 26, 1927.
During Clark’s tenure, the organization continued to grow. By the end of the 19th century, Christian Endeavor was in the headlines of many major American newspapers. By 1906, 67,000 youth-led Christian Endeavor societies had been organized worldwide, with membership reportedly topping four million young people. World conventions were held to address major issues. The organization took up many causes without apology; wielding its influence to support, among other things, the temperance movement of the 1920s. Ironically, Alcoholics Annonymous was birthed through Christian Endeavor. It also played a major role in the leadership development of five United States Presidents. Countless other influencial Christian leaders trace their heritage to Christian Endeavor.
National Unions of Christian Endeavor are active in over 50 countries today. These groups work in cooperation under shared principles from the original CE Society and form a global body known as the World's Christian Endeavor Union. They meet every four years for a world convention.
In 2010, Christian Endeavor International launched a fresh expression of the movement to share the premise and principles of Christian Endeavor with the larger Body of Christ through an initiative called the Endeavor Movement. This culturally relevant approach trains churches to transition from modern youth ministry to a more effective model by once again forming Endeavor Societies where young people make a commitment to live daily for Jesus Christ and take action to make a difference in their world. Adults agree to never do for young people what they can learn to do for themselves. Instead, they act as mentors who guide young people to accept responsibility for their own faith, organize into teams, and identify and meet real needs in their communities using God's Word as their guide.
