What's it like to be on staff with Cru?

What’s it like to be on staff with Cru?

Okay, let’s say you are sold out for Jesus and you would love to spend your best hours helping win, build, and send high school students. But you want to know, what is it REALLY like to be on staff with Cru?

Everyone’s staff experience will be different, but here is a good general picture of life on staff with Cru.

It is Flexible

As Cru field staff, you need to have a basic level of responsibility and self-motivation. Why? Because on the whole, YOU will be in charge of your schedule.

Serving with Cru, you will not punch a clock, fill out a timesheet, or provide a minute-by-minute account of your activities to your team leader. You will have great freedom in how to carry out the basic mandate to win, build, and send students.

So rather than every day from 9 to 5, your 40 hours of work may be distributed very differently throughout the week.

Time with God

Every day, we must be spiritually prepared for the work of the gospel. So the great news is, spending time with God is part of your job! If you want to spend an hour or more each day in the Word and prayer, you can do it completely guilt-free.

We also encourage staff to take a monthly half day with the Lord.

Time with Students

Most of our staff work on the field, directly with students. This is where many new staff spend the bulk of their ministry time, working to win, build, and send teenagers.

You will have Cru club meetings at lunchtime and/or before or after school. You will spend some of those same times on campus (where allowed) sharing your faith, asking God to bring you to students who are open to the gospel.

When you bring your students with you to do evangelism, you can do win/build/send all at the same time. You are building them in their faith and knowledge of how to share, and you are sending them when they are the ones who invite a group to do “Soularium” or when they share their testimony or teach at a weekly club meeting.

You may also lead one or more Bible study groups and individual or small-group discipleship times. These can be after school or in the evenings.

Not all the time you spend with students will be in formal events. Maximize your time by bringing them with you wherever you go. Take them along to the hardware store. Go to their football practices and attend their talent shows. Remember the principle that we do “life-on-life” ministry.

Also counted as work is the time you spend . . .

Studying and preparing for those meetings
Contacting your students via phone, text, however
Praying for them
Promoting Cru through social media
Planning and focused personal growth activities

Time with Your Staff and Leaders

You will have a staff meeting each week, which will include planning and possibly some relational time. You may have a regular time of being supervised by your team leader or campus leader.

For your assigned campus(es), you may get together with other staff or volunteers each week. You can plan and strategize how to reach that school, share victories and struggles in ministry, and discuss individual students and the next steps for each (share Christ with them, challenge them to leadership, etc.).

New field staff will be guided by a trainer through Cru’s Core Training. This includes a lot of content and hands-on assignments and may take about 20% of your time each week during the first year.

If the Office is More Your Thing

While many of our new staff prefer to work directly with students, others have skills and aptitudes that are more administrative or operational. If you are great behind a desk and love working to maximize the efforts of others, you should definitely consider a position at one of our Cru offices. Whether you work out of our Cru headquarters in Orlando, FL, one of our regional offices, or help support one of our local teams operationally, there are many opportunities to serve behind the scenes with Cru.

MPD

Finally, all staff need to prioritize regular time on Ministry Partner Development – maintaining and building relationships with partners, seeking new and increased support, and writing and producing newsletters. Staff who make MPD part of their weekly schedule are usually the ones who see long-term success.

To sum up: A typical day may include time in the morning for personal chores or free time. Your lunch hours and afternoons will often be spent with students, and some of your evenings as well. The key is to be flexible, adaptable, and available.

The life of a Cru field staff person has rhythms and seasons different from almost any other job.

Your Year

Just as your day and your week have a flow, your year has a rhythm as well. Because we are campus workers, our most busy time of year will be when our schools are in session, typically September through June.

But contrary to some perceptions, we are not schoolteachers, and we do not get summers off!

Of course, our focus is different because we are not going on campus. But there is still plenty of ministry to be done. A typical summer starts with a Getaway conference (24/7 with students for 4-5 days). Then you may go on a short-term domestic or international mission with students.

Your staff team may have some planned summer ministry activities, like cookouts, summer Cru meetings, or recreation days. These might be less intense and more geared toward gathering new students, but still include biblical teaching or devotionals.

And just as during the school year, you will want to look for informal ways to spend time with your disciples and other students. In fact, you may have a lot more time to hang out with them.

You may also spend 2-4 weeks in the summer attending IBS (Institute of Biblical Studies) classes toward fulfilling Cru’s theological education requirements.

If your support needs work, your team leader may ask you to devote yourself full-time to MPD for a few weeks, possibly back in your home area. Cru staff also have vacation time, but please do not confuse time in MPD with vacation. Your team leader and MPD coach will expect you to work as hard on MPD as you do on campus.

Back to the school year: Your fall will be full of planning, evangelism, and gathering as you restart the movement on your campus(es). It is an exciting time of developing students to take leadership spaces vacated by those who have graduated.

When winter rolls around, you will probably put on a winter Fastbreak conference as well. This can happen any time between December and February, either during Christmas break or the MLK or Presidents’ Day holidays.

Spring of a school year can rush by quickly. For the seniors in our movement, we are getting ready to launch them into a new phase. If you are taking students on an international mission trip, you will spend a good amount of time fundraising for yourself and helping them, since they are not experts like you!

Wrapping it Up

The life of a Cru field staff person has rhythms and seasons different from almost any other job. It can be hectic and demanding, but most of us would not trade this life for anything. The rewards of seeing young lives changed for eternity are totally worth it.

Next Step

What is your next step on your journey? Here are some suggestions...

If you know a Cru staff member, talk to them about what it might look like for you to join staff.
Learn more about the qualifications for coming on staff with Cru.
Visit our New Staff Orientation page to find training dates and deadlines for our New Staff Training.
Apply for staff with our online application.
Not sure you are ready for staff? Check out Different ways to Join Us.

qualifications online application

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.