How to Do a Team Talk

One of the fastest ways to meet a group of students is through the natural communities that already exist on campus. Sports teams, especially, offer tight-knit connections where students already trust each other, spend time together, and listen to shared voices. That’s why team talks are one of the most strategic and fruitful ways to reach students with the gospel.

A “team talk” is a short motivational message delivered to a high school sports team, usually before or after practice. It’s designed to encourage the team, serve the coach, and open a door to a second, voluntary meeting where you can talk more openly about faith. Here’s how it works:

Step 1: Talk to the Coach

Coaches are the gatekeepers. Your first move is to build trust with them. If possible, have a student, parent, or teacher introduce you. Ask the coach what their team needs most. Let them know you want to serve, not sell. Offer a quick, 10-minute motivational talk on a topic like leadership, teamwork, or perseverance. Mention you’ll also invite students to a second, optional event where they can explore faith.

Step 2: Give a Team Talk

The goal of the team talk is to encourage, inspire, and connect. Keep it short (5-10 mins), keep it helpful, and keep it non-spiritual—you’re earning the right to be heard. Bring popsicles or Gatorades for everyone, respect their time, and speak to the challenge the coach mentioned. You don’t have to be an expert speaker, just prepared, clear, and sincere.

Step 3: Invite Them to the Real Party

At the end of the talk, invite students to a pizza party or hangout later that week. That’s where the real conversation happens. This event is optional, held off-campus or at a student’s house, and it’s your chance to share the gospel and build relationships. Make sure the details (who, when, where, what) are ready before the team talk so students can RSVP on the spot.

Respect the coach, serve the team, and trust God with the rest.

Step 4: Host the Outreach Event

Here’s a sample flow:

0:00 Welcome and intro to Cru
- My name is __________, and I am part of a group called Cru. Cru is a national high school organization dedicated to helping students develop positive values, leadership skills, and a personal faith that impacts every area of life. Today we are going to start by finding out if you have two qualities that make good athletes great athletes. Are you smart, and are you tough?
0:05 Play sports trivia with candy prizes
- Quiz students over trivia related to their sport. (Put together about 10 questions – just google “sports trivia.”) Ask a question and throw candy to the first person to answer correctly.
0:10 Funny competition (e.g., clothespin contest)
- Bring up four or five guys who think they are the toughest in the room and have another student come up and place as many clothes pins on their face as they can in a minute’s time. Then have the spotter remove and count up the clothes pins. The person with the most wins. Take pictures!
0:20 Why we are here

Every student is looking for fulfillment. To find it, a balance needs to be established in the three major areas:

Mental: The school helps you to develop mentally – through teachers, classes, homework, and some extracurricular activities.
Physical: School also helps you develop physically – with coaches, through P.E. classes, sports, and other activities.
Spiritual: The school isn’t designed to help you spiritually. That’s where Cru High School comes in. We are designed to help you and other students help each other in the spiritual area.

To develop spiritually, an individual needs to understand two things:

How to start a relationship with God
How to grow in that relationship with God

Today we are going to look at this first area, how you can start a relationship with God.

- Note: Check out the Triangle Diagram Video at gotothecampus.com to see the above content explained.
- If you have a student involved and prepped to share their testimony, here would be a good place for them to do it.
0:25 Share the gospel
- Have students share the Connecting with God booklet, or have a speaker share the gospel.
0:40 Comment cards and invite to next step
- Have the team fill out Comment Cards, and then invite them to a 4-week challenge. Give the time and location of the study. Make sure anyone interested in the study is directed to put that on their card, with contact information.
0:45 Eat pizza and hang out
1:00 Clean up and celebrate

Take note, the entire meeting lasts no longer than an hour. There’s genuine fun involved, and great face time with those who will do the follow up. Students are given a chance to receive Christ and to fill out a comment card. The students know when and where the next touch point will be – make sure it’s no longer than one week into the future.

One team talk can do more than a semester of tabling.

Step 5: Keep It Going

Follow up quickly with interested students. Start a study, grab lunch, show up at their games. And don’t forget to text the coach to say thanks. They opened the door. You’re building trust for future talks.

Did you see what you just did?

You just:

Shared the gospel with a number of students who had never heard it.
Showed young believers how to share their faith.
Gave a few Christian leadership students an opportunity to lead spiritually.
Showed non-believers that Christians are loving and can be real.
Built relationships with teenagers on your campus.
Began building a relationship with a coach.

AMAZING!

This one event has done so much to move forward the work of the gospel on your campus. Have you ever had a more spiritually impactful couple of hours? What a day! Now go grab a coffee or ice cream to celebrate and start thinking of your next steps to follow up these students!

Next Step

Want to host your first team talk? Start by identifying a coach or student you know. Then head to gotothecampus.com and check out the sample team talks under the LEAD tab.

sample team talks

From Grief to Purpose: Finding God in the Storm

Growing up in a Christian home, she always knew about Jesus, but her relationship with Him didn’t feel personal until tragedy struck in eighth grade. Transitioning from homeschooling to public school had already pushed her out of her comfort zone, and anxiety loomed as she struggled to find her place. Then, during the fall of 2020, both her parents contracted COVID. While her mom recovered, her dad’s condition worsened, leading to months of uncertainty. She vividly remembers the day he left for the hospital and the long, heartbreaking journey that followed. Despite moments of hope, her dad passed away on February 20th, 2021. At just 13 years old, she faced the devastating reality of losing her father—a loss that shook her world and her faith.

In the midst of that grief, she began to see God’s hand at work. During sleepless nights and moments of overwhelming sorrow, God surrounded her with people who cared—friends, family, and a community that embodied His love. Though the pain of loss didn’t disappear, she found comfort in the truth that this life is not the end. Inspired by Paul’s words about eternity, she started to see her father’s passing as a reminder of the hope we have in Christ. That hope spurred her to action. On a family mission trip to Thailand, she met students leading Cru groups at their schools, and the seed was planted to start something similar back home. Despite initial uncertainty, God provided resources, opened doors, and brought others alongside her to launch Cru at her school—a ministry that has been thriving for nearly a year now.

"Anxiety loomed as she struggled to find her place."

Her story is one of resilience, faith, and transformation. Through unimaginable grief, she discovered the depth of God’s love and the strength found in trusting Him. The loss of her dad deepened her desire to share Jesus with others, knowing firsthand how essential His presence is in life’s hardest moments. Cru has given her a platform to do just that—to tell others about the God who redeems brokenness and uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. Her journey reminds us that while pain is inevitable, God is sovereign, faithful, and able to bring beauty from ashes.

Next Step

Check out Christina's Story and consider how God might use an international mission in your or another student's life.

christina's story

The Six Milestones Every Student Needs to Grow in Faith

Why These Milestones Matter

If we are not careful, students can float through our ministry without ever taking real steps forward. They might show up every week, but never really grow or take ownership of their faith. Milestones give us a simple, clear map for helping them keep moving. They help us answer the question, “What’s next for this student?” and give students the courage to take that step.

When we guide students from milestone to milestone, we are not just helping them stay involved. We are helping them grow into strong, confident followers of Jesus who are ready to lead and influence others.

Share Christ with a Student Who Doesn’t Know Jesus

Before anything else, a student needs the chance to hear the good news of Jesus in a clear and personal way. This is where it all begins. Many teenagers have never heard the gospel explained in full, even if they have been around church. Take the time to share about God’s love, our need for forgiveness, and the hope we have in Christ. The first step in their journey is not about them sharing their faith — it is about them hearing it for the first time.

Helpful Resources:

Lead a Student Through Their First Follow-Up

When a student says yes to Jesus, it is just the start of something new and exciting. The first follow-up meeting is where you can help them understand what it means to walk with God daily. It is also a chance to build trust and start a discipleship relationship. This step anchors their new faith and helps them grow instead of drifting away.

Helpful Resources:

Help a Student Understand the ministry of the Holy Spirit

Helping students understand the Holy Spirit is a game-changer. Too often, new believers try to live the Christian life in their own strength, and it leaves them frustrated. Teaching them about the Spirit-filled life shows them how to depend on God’s power for both living and sharing their faith. This is when students start to realize that God is not just calling them to do hard things — He is empowering them to actually do them.

Helpful Resources:

GodTools App (go through the Satisfied tool with them)
Holy Spirit Booklet

Holy Spirit Study in Thrive Studies

First Evangelism Experience

Many students have never had the chance to talk about their faith with someone who doesn’t know Jesus. Taking them out to share, whether on campus, at an event, or in the community, changes that. At first, they might feel nervous, but once they see God working through them, it can be life-changing. That moment when a student realizes, “God just used me to help someone understand the gospel” — that is the spark that often leads to a lifetime of ministry.

Helpful Resources:

Challenge to a Cru Training Event

There is something powerful about getting students away from their normal routine and into an environment filled with worship, biblical teaching, and friends who are chasing after Jesus. Conferences give them the space to grow, hear from God, and take big steps of faith. The bus ride there might be full of nerves, but the ride home is usually buzzing with stories of what God did. Over and over again, we have seen students return from these events ready to lead and make a difference.

Helpful Resources:

Conferences Page

Challenge to Spiritual Leadership on Campus

Teenagers are capable of more than they realize. The world constantly challenges them to step up in sports, academics, and clubs, but sometimes the church forgets to ask them to lead in ministry. Giving students real leadership opportunities — leading a Bible study, speaking at a meeting, planning an outreach — unlocks their potential and sets an example for younger students. Over time, this creates a culture where leadership is expected and contagious.

Helpful Resources:

Student Leader Section – GoToTheCampus.com

Wrapping It Up

These milestones are not a checklist to rush through. They are a pathway to help students grow, one step at a time. Every student you know is somewhere on this journey. Your role is to encourage them, challenge them, and walk alongside them as they take the next step. The goal is not just to build a ministry — it is to build students who live on mission for Jesus for the rest of their lives.

Want to dig deeper? Check out our full conversations about the Six Milestones in these YouTube videos.

Next Step

Write down the names of every student in your ministry. Identify their current milestone and decide how you can help them reach the next one.

The Priceless Project: Impacting Girls in Public Schools

The Priceless Project: Impacting Girls in Public Schools

The Priceless Project is a powerful small-group resource designed especially for girls, offering a safe, encouraging space to talk about identity, value, and purpose. It’s already making a difference in public schools, giving students a chance to connect, grow, and be reminded of their worth.

One of its greatest strengths is flexibility. The Priceless Project comes in two versions:

A Bible study version for church, youth group, or Christian school settings
A public school version with the same strong themes but without Scripture references — making it ideal for campuses that might not allow explicitly faith-based content

The public school version can be a great way to get in the door on a campus that’s difficult to access. It allows you to mentor a group of girls who need it, build relationships with them, and meet real emotional and social needs in a way that schools welcome.

Priceless Project

from Emily French

Why use The Priceless Project?

Creates a safe, respectful space for girls to share and be heard
Meets real emotional and social needs in public schools
Builds leadership and peer-to-peer mentoring skills
Easy to use, with free resources and an app for facilitators
Proven track record in schools through partnerships with teachers and administrators

All digital resources are free for Cru. Use the discount code PricelessCru at checkout. All physical books are available for purchase at iampriceless.me.

A free Priceless Project App is also available for Apple and Android — with digital curriculum, playlists, blog posts, and a safe space for facilitators to connect with the girls they lead.

You can learn more, explore the curriculum, and order resources at iampriceless.me.