Torchlighters FAQ

About Torchlighters

Torchlighters: Heroes of the Faith videos bring the stories of real-life faith heroes to children in a format that is engaging, inspirational, and educational.  We aim to help parents, teachers, and faith communities raise up a new generation of Jesus followers who will themselves become “torchlighters,” carrying the light of faith into the future.

Torchlighters began in 2005 with the release of The Jim Elliot Story, the inaugural episode.  Since then the series has grown to include 22 episodes and has spread around the world through partner distributors, television broadcast, and Internet streaming. For more on the story behind the series, check out this feature interview in the Christian Post.

Torchlighters are especially recommended for children in the 8-12 age range. Many children at this age are ready to make a decision to follow Christ and are deeply impacted by heroes who live out their faith with courage and integrity. Torchlighters are also enjoyed by teens and adults, many of whom also appreciate the accompanying documentaries. Please note that Torchlighters stories are true and contain some material that may be frightening or too mature for younger children. Parents and teachers are advised to review the videos before showing to younger or more sensitive children.

Christian History Institute (CHI) is the executive producer of The Torchlighters, as part of our mission to share the story of the Church with the people of the Church. Herald Entertainment is the producer of the videos, under the direction of Robert Fernandez.

We are aligned with no particular denomination, but we adhere to the Apostles’ Creed and seek to present the history of the Christianity in accessible ways. We believe the glory of Christ is shown by presenting the work he has done in and through his people at various times and in various places. All Torchlighters were men and women who showed themselves faithful to Christ and to the Word of God.

Great question! We keep a long list of prospective Torchlighters, men and women throughout church history who have followed Christ whole-heartedly. Our team prayerfully considers each hero’s legacy, their faith story, and the appeal of the story for children. Be sure to follow us on Facebook for the latest updates!

Check out our Ministry Ideas page for tons of great suggestions. Feel free to submit your ideas to us as well.

Bonus Material

Each Torchlighters DVD includes a 30-minute animated feature sharing the life of the hero, English and Spanish language tracks, English and Spanish subtitles, a documentary on the hero intended to provide additional information, and complete Leader and Student study guides with reproducible pages.

Our producer, Robert Fernandez, does extensive research in creating each episode of Torchlighters. Because we don’t like to waste anything, we take his research one step further by rounding up subject experts, filming them on location, and producing our engaging documentaries as a way to help fill in the blanks and tell the rest of the story. Adults enjoy them, and many kids do as well.

We at CHI have been creating study guides to go along with our films on Christian history for years, so when we started the Torchlighters series, it was only natural to extend their use with quality material for parents and teachers. Guides are produced in house by our staff, often with a few of our own children as willing “guinea pigs!”

Our study guides are in English and are fully reproducible. You are free to translate pages into other languages if you wish.
The beautiful song at the end of the Perpetua episode is a hit with our fans! Sung by Florence McNair and composed and produced by Michael Dooley, the song can be downloaded here.

Access

Stream Torchlighters here or download via our distributor Vision Video.

All Torchlighters include a Spanish track, and many have been dubbed into other languages as well. Check with our distributor, Vision Video, for up-to-date information on available languages.

Yes, all Torchlighters episodes include optional English and Spanish subtitles.

Please consult Vision Video’s foreign vendor page to find a distributor near you and ask for Torchlighters!

Permissions

We allow you to show Torchlighters to a small group of children in your home or church (fewer than 10 children). For larger groups or public showings, please obtain a CVLI license from Christian Video Licensing International. Countries serviced by CVLI are Australia, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, New Zealand, Sweden, United Kingdom, and the United States. All others should contact Christian History Institute to make arrangements to show our DVDs. To show a copyrighted movie to a group without a license can be a violation of copyright.

Related Projects

The Torchlighters Ultimate Activity Book is a full-color resource with 144 pages of fun, educational activities for children—including eight unique pages for each of the first 16 Torchlighter heroes.

We also published The Torchlighters Biography: Corrie ten Boom, sharing Corrie’s story through pictures and engaging text that appeals to young readers. Find it here.

Find more books from Christian History Institute here.

Christian History Institute has produced a number of excellent children’s programs, available here on our storefront.

Visit Christian History Institute (the producers of the Torchlighters) to find many free resources including all back issues of Christian History magazine, our “Today in Christian History” feature, and a selection of award-winning films on the history of the faith.