Each generation of the church in each setting has the responsibility of communicating the gospel in understandable terms, considering the language and thought-forms of that setting.

Schaeffer's wife Edith (Seville) Schaeffer became a prolific author in her own right. He is most famous for his writings and his establishment of the L'Abri community in Switzerland. Schaeffer was also the father of — initially a collaborator with and after his death the object of criticism from — Frank Schaeffer an author film-maker and painter.