About

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The Schaeffer House is a Christian Study Center and ministry of Covenant Presbyterian Church which points people to Jesus Christ by providing a welcoming space for cultural engagement, honest exploration, and life-giving conversation.

We believe that the Christian faith is relevant to all of life and so The Schaeffer House is devoted to developing an environment of intellectual and spiritual hospitality—welcoming people with their doubts and honest questions, taking those questions seriously, and treating people with dignity.

 The name Schaeffer recognizes the legacy of Francis & Edith Schaeffer and their particular connection to Covenant Presbyterian Church. Francis Schaeffer pastored this church from 1943-1947. He and Edith and their young family made a home here in St. Louis and they had a vibrant ministry that shaped the young congregation in important ways. Nevertheless, God called the Schaeffers to Europe where they sought to encourage the churches in the wake of World War II. In 1955, the work that they were doing took its permanent shape, as they founded the ministry of L’Abri. L’Abri is French for “shelter”...and a Swiss chalet that God had provided became a shelter that thousands would flock to in order to ask their honest questions about God and the significance of human life. Since the Schaeffers were here at this church, and because we are inspired by the kind of ministry they founded at L’Abri, it seemed quite appropriate to name this ministry The Schaeffer House.

To learn more about Francis & Edith Schaeffer go to the Resources (hyper link to Resources) section of our website. L’Abri has expanded since 1955 and continues in several locations around the world, go to the L’Abri website to learn more.

In 2020 Ryan Laughlin & Chris Smith and others began talking and praying and dreaming about what would eventually become The Schaeffer House ministry. Those early thoughts and prayers eventually came more fully formed to the session of Covenant Presbyterian Church in 2021. On September 15, 2021 Mark Meynell came and lectured on the band U2 in an event that was a kind of test of concept. After discussion, prayer, and session approval, The Schaeffer House officially launched in the spring of 2022, hosting Russ Ramsey, for a dinner on March 3rd and then a lecture–“Van Gogh’s Red Vineyard and the Elusive Nature of Contentment” on March 4th. Since then The Schaeffer House has hosted all kinds of meals, lectures, book discussions, bible studies, film nights, concerts, Blue Christmas services, a song writing workshop and an art installation, as well as a regular coffee shop and study space for students.